[scy]

@Dualizing for profit: Generally speaking, you're better off just getting to a high value quality (e.g., most of the 8-letter ones). So your Dreamer's Flange example should really just get to Perilous or something and then sell it. Not much reason to go through a bunch of dualizes to raise the resell Inheritance. I mean, yes, you'll make more money but it's not really worth the time spent.

The upgraded Rare weapons (like Dreamer's Flange) all have such a high base resell value that you really don't need to do much to make them worth something. If you're just trying to make a profit off of Rare equipment, you might want to dualize a few times and try to end on a high Resell Multiplier Quality.

To make the most money, you only care about Resell Inheritance for the in-between steps and you want the highest Resell Multiplier for when you're ready to sell the item. For example, if you're going to Dreamer's Flange +4 then steps +1, +2, and +3 you only care about the Inheritance, not the Multiplier; that final dualize to get it to +4 is when you want a good resell multiplier Quality.

I guess I can make a list of shards to use but it's not something I'd really try to adhere to strictly since you may not have the right qualities for it. Just know the Inheritances and Multipliers of each option (the game tells you this so you can always just check it) and figure it out from there. I generally just took most equipment down to a 5-letter Quality (Rigid, Noble) and then up to 7-letter (Magical) or 8-letter (Perilous, Poignant, Dazzling, Fabulous) depending on what I had.

And do remember to use Miso Stew as your food during this. It makes the entire process pretty fast as it takes 2-4 fights for most the tempering.

[Dark Schala]

Thanks a lot !! LMAO I laughed so hard on the "YEEEEEES!!" line :p and also on the sexy cat thing on the beach :p please tell me more about cool and awesome events like these two.... I hate to miss ANYTHING!

Well, the best thing about postgame is that you can go back and do the subevents that you missed. But maybe if you really wanted to, you could do a NG+ and follow a FAQ to see which sidequests you missed during your first playthrough (because there are a bunch of them that are easily missable, but they aren't recorded in the sidequest log).

The quest where Pascal makes a Mecha Sophie can be kind of funny. But you kind of need to put a lot of work into that one. You need to initiate the event at Telos Astue and go to the second floor in the room at the back and check the event star. Then you have to go to the Humanoid Research Center and check a room on the 2nd basement floor... and then you need to find a bunch of crystal materials, which might be time-consuming if you don't have them (I just went to Sable Izolle over and over, got torn pages, and made the crystals that way, or got them with the eleth mixer).

If you want to get all the sidequests in the Future Arc, I would heavily recommend playing with a FAQ because there are a ton of events and skits in there that are very funny and expand on the characters' funnier sides than the Adult arc did.

You should really do the Zone Cage one sometime because the end of that sidequest is hilarious.

Now I'm reminded of my disappointment that Xillia didn't have these sorts of quests. :/

Cool, thanks for the information! And congratulations on the platinum!!! So I have been going through the Zhonecage and I am loving the experience. I was working on the 6th floor and I was getting 100K-200K experience per battle on Normal. The last place I tried to grind was Sandshroud Ruins and I was only getting 10K-20K so this is much better. The only crappy thing is that I can't unlock every level of the Zhonecage yet. I only have access up to level 7. What are some good items to have to unlock the higher floors?

Thank you. :)

Yeah, I did most of my postgame grinding in the Zone Cage, so going back to do the 60 seconds trophy for the future arc boss ended up being rather painless outside of the 01.01.05 thing. :/ Getting like 200K XP in some cases really helped. Plus I went shard hunting there for inn requests anyway.

Just make a Dreamer's Flange+2 with a Perilous quality (so you can use it for every single floor of the Zone Cage up to level 10). Just make sure you don't die so you don't lose the item, because you'll need it for an inn request if you only plan on making one, or if you want to come back and hunt for shards/the crystals for the characters' ultimate weapons.

So... Dreamer's Flange = Rare Shotstaff + High-Grade Crystal
It starts with an Epochal quality, and you want to make it Perilous, so you can either combine:
Untamed+Untamed
Haughty+Untamed
Haughty+Sketchy
Haughty+Epochal

I don't temper it and make a gem from it at +2 because it seems to reduce the value, so just leave it as a blue colour and untempered when you get it to Perilous and at +2 (I used a shard that didn't change its quality so thus it was at +2; I've heard people go up to +4 since they had extracted a gem but had to dualize back up to a Perilous quality).

[Gunloc]

This game is so much fun.

Malik is truly a god.

[Sagitario]

Thanks for the tips, guys! :)

A few questions:

- If I defeat the final boss on my first playthrough and then save, I can continue playing from the last save point and do the post game content, right?
- Would I be able to finish the non-missable sidequests and gatherings? I mean, the game continues like normal?
- After finishing the game, I can start the ƒ arc but I wouldn't have access to the normal game until I finish it. Can I start the ƒ arc in the middle of my post game run, finish it and continue where I left?

I feel like I worry too much about silly things :P

[IntelliHeath]

Thanks for the tips, guys! :) A few questions: - If I defeat the final boss on my first playthrough and then save, I can continue playing from the last save point and do the post game content, right? - Would I be able to finish the non-missable sidequests and gatherings? I mean, the game continues like normal? - After finishing the game, I can start the ƒ arc but I wouldn't have access to the normal game until I finish it. Can I start the ƒ arc in the middle of my post game run, finish it and continue where I left? I feel like I worry too much about silly things :P

1) Yes, you can.

2) Yes, You can.

3) Yes, You can. At long, you finished F arc.

[Sagitario]

1) Yes, you can. 2) Yes, You can. 3) Yes, You can. At long, you finished F arc.

Thanks :)


Last question for tonight (I hope, because I decided not to play today and it is my free night :P):

The materials for the Narikiri dolls/titles are exclusive to the ƒ arc, right? Are they so hard to get as it sounds?

[IntelliHeath]

Thanks :) Last question for tonight (I hope, because I decided not to play today and it is my free night :P): The materials for the Narikiri dolls/titles are exclusive to the ƒ arc, right? Are they so hard to get as it sounds?

Yeah, It's. Well, if you like to grind then they shouldn't be problem. Hubert seem to be easy one out of all.

[scy]

I don't temper it and make a gem from it at +2 because it seems to reduce the value, so just leave it as a blue colour and untempered when you get it to Perilous and at +2 (I used a shard that didn't change its quality so thus it was at +2; I've heard people go up to +4 since they had extracted a gem but had to dualize back up to a Perilous quality).

Tempering raises the value (* 1.25), extracting the Gem lowers it (removes the tempering multiplier and the Effect multiplier).

[barrin87]

Thank you. :) Yeah, I did most of my postgame grinding in the Zone Cage, so going back to do the 60 seconds trophy for the future arc boss ended up being rather painless outside of the 01.01.05 thing. :/ Getting like 200K XP in some cases really helped. Plus I went shard hunting there for inn requests anyway. Just make a Dreamer's Flange+2 with a Perilous quality (so you can use it for every single floor of the Zone Cage up to level 10). Just make sure you don't die so you don't lose the item, because you'll need it for an inn request if you only plan on making one, or if you want to come back and hunt for shards/the crystals for the characters' ultimate weapons. So... Dreamer's Flange = Rare Shotstaff + High-Grade Crystal It starts with an Epochal quality, and you want to make it Perilous, so you can either combine: Untamed+Untamed Haughty+Untamed Haughty+Sketchy Haughty+Epochal I don't temper it and make a gem from it at +2 because it seems to reduce the value, so just leave it as a blue colour and untempered when you get it to Perilous and at +2 (I used a shard that didn't change its quality so thus it was at +2; I've heard people go up to +4 since they had extracted a gem but had to dualize back up to a Perilous quality).

Great, thanks for the information! I will have to try getting the Dreamer's Flange. I will have to try doing shard hunting there as well. I currently have three weapons I need to get to the Fabulous quality and haven't been able to get the shards yet.

[BassForever]

Just got beat game on Chaos, which is hilariously enough easier to get then beating the final boss in 1 minute achievement. Going to do the last few main game side quest then 100% the f arc before I finally do Zonecage.

[Sagitario]

What were your characters levels?

[Dark Schala]

Tempering raises the value (* 1.25), extracting the Gem lowers it (removes the tempering multiplier and the Effect multiplier).

Way better to go through and temper if you're going for selling and getting more gald, for sure. Though for the Zone Cage, you don't have to temper after you get it to +2 Perilous.

Great, thanks for the information! I will have to try getting the Dreamer's Flange. I will have to try doing shard hunting there as well. I currently have three weapons I need to get to the Fabulous quality and haven't been able to get the shards yet.

Well, it depends on which qualities the weapons start out with. You can just use 1-2 shards to get the desired quality most of the time. Fabulous was always a pain for me because I always seemed to run out of Magical Shards to get the quality I wanted. Going for them in the Zone Cage, the Upper Ghardia Shaft, or the World's Eye seemed like a good idea. Zone Cage is preferred since the 11% drop rate on Floor 5 is better than the 5% drop rate elsewhere.

So...
Epochal + Epochal
Epochal + Magical
Magical + Sketchy

...are the combos I know of.

[barrin87]

Way better to go through and temper if you're going for selling and getting more gald, for sure. Though for the Zone Cage, you don't have to temper after you get it to +2 Perilous. Well, it depends on which qualities the weapons start out with. You can just use 1-2 shards to get the desired quality most of the time. Fabulous was always a pain for me because I always seemed to run out of Magical Shards to get the quality I wanted. Going for them in the Zone Cage, the Upper Ghardia Shaft, or the World's Eye seemed like a good idea. Zone Cage is preferred since the 11% drop rate on Floor 5 is better than the 5% drop rate elsewhere. So... Epochal + Epochal Epochal + Magical Magical + Sketchy ...are the combos I know of.

I will have to try Zhonecage since Ghardia shaft hasn't been doing me any good.

I just beat the Rockgagong! I did go the cheap route but it was freaking awesome to beat him with a single hit on Chaos with Hubert!

[nintendoman58]

This is probably a very stupid question but...

Where in the game does it say that certain plot points are "Chapters?"

People keep saying "I'm on chapter 5, or 6", etc. But what point in the game are those plot points? Where does it say that? I've looked through the menus but I can't seem to find it. Is it in the library or something?

[Mikhal]

The trophies tell you what chapter you just completed.

[nintendoman58]

The trophies tell you what chapter you just completed.

Ugh. I should have known that something like that was the case.

[Sagitario]

2 days without touching the game!
I think I might play a little tomorrow if I am not sleepy after work... I want those stamps!!!

[Yuripaw]

Just beat the main story! This was the first Tales game I've actually ever played to completion. It is a rare thing that I actually finish a JRPG, so that's saying something about the quality of this game I think. ^_^

I actually really liked how it ended. I really liked all the characters and how they all turned out. I'm a sucker for a happy ending, so I had no problems with how it turned out. While the overall story of the game may seem straight forward, I enjoyed it all the way through. I don't need to have my mind blown every time I play a game, and I felt it was just a really engrossing and interesting world to play and explore. Big thumbs up from me, and I'm so glad Namco gave us this game.

Still gotta do the future arc. I'll tackle that some other time. I wanna just jump into it now, but it's 345am, so I think I'll take a break.

edit: I also loved the music during the end credits. Just another version of white wishes, but it was still awesome.

[robotzombie]

Quick question: How much more of the game do I have left? I just defeated a boar boss on the way to the Amarcian town after Mt. Zavhert. I have about 35 hours and I thought this game was much shorter than previous tales games but I feel like I have way more to go before I'm at the end of this one...

[Yuripaw]

Quick question: How much more of the game do I have left? I just defeated a boar boss on the way to the Amarcian town after Mt. Zavhert. I have about 35 hours and I thought this game was much shorter than previous tales games but I feel like I have way more to go before I'm at the end of this one...

Quite a bit still I'd say. I'd say you're probably about 50-60% through the main quest. I could be wrong, but I played the game for a while, and where you're at seems like a long time ago.

[scottzorus]

Quick question: How much more of the game do I have left? I just defeated a boar boss on the way to the Amarcian town after Mt. Zavhert. I have about 35 hours and I thought this game was much shorter than previous tales games but I feel like I have way more to go before I'm at the end of this one...

I agree with Yuripaw that you have a lot more game left to be played. Just beat the game this week and where you are seems like so long ago.

[grandjedi6]

Why does every guide for this game tell you to go do a bunch of sidequest stuff in the middle of the final dungeon? Does it really matter whether you do the sidequest stuff before or after the final boss as long as you have the few missible things like the handkerchief? Do all the sidequests and skits just end once you beat the game?

[Dark Schala]

Why does every guide for this game tell you to go do a bunch of sidequest stuff in the middle of the final dungeon? Does it really matter whether you do the sidequest stuff before or after the final boss as long as you have the few missible things like the handkerchief? Do all the sidequests and skits just end once you beat the game?

No, it really doesn't. Especially because postgame loads prior to the final boss. I figured out a lot of the sidequest stuff after I'd finished the final dungeon and in postgame when I played the game for the first time.

I guess it's written for completionists or people who want the skits ASAP, because that's when they first become available and they decide to tell you about it then.

[Sagitario]

Yeah, it's because of the skits, and since you have to be in specific places to trigger them [some of them are REALLY easy to miss], the guides tell you the sidequests available there... two-birds, one stone.

[frequency]

So I finally got through the game and to the future arc.

Everyone kept telling me it was worth it even though the game is mediocre to me and I already finished the Wii version.

I completely disagree about its worth. I went from thinking the cast and story were "okay" to now thinking the story is stupid and Asbel is one of the worst characters in the franchise. He went from being "just there" to being someone I actively dislike. And the rest of the cast (except Malik) went down a few notches too.

I wish I never played this extra content. It puts this game quite a few places further back in my list. I think I can actually say I do not like Graces anymore.

I honestly do not think I've had the urge to slap someone as much as I do Asbel.

[charlequin]

What else is missable besides the handkerchief? (I assume this is the handkerchief Frederick sneakily sends you to collect.) I already blew it on the discovery skits and I don't care enough to follow a guide to get each and every one of the little star-point scenes, but if there's anything else particularly significant I'll give it a shot.

I completely disagree about its worth. I went from thinking the cast and story were "okay" to now thinking the story is stupid and Asbel is one of the worst characters in the franchise.

Man, it must be awful; I feel that way already.

[Dark Schala]

What else is missable besides the handkerchief? (I assume this is the handkerchief Frederick sneakily sends you to collect.) I already blew it on the discovery skits and I don't care enough to follow a guide to get each and every one of the little star-point scenes, but if there's anything else particularly significant I'll give it a shot.

Some short (usually) unrecorded "subquests" that you backtrack to some areas for (these are usually short dialogue sequences that pop up prior to the next plot point).

In my experience, the handkerchief quest was the only truly missable one that you need for 100% inn request completion.

Man, it must be awful; I feel that way already.

To be honest, I thought Future Arc was better than the Adult Arc on the basis that the characters had a personality this time around (though this sort of thing is generally expanded upon during the skits and subquests).

[Sagitario]

What else is missable besides the handkerchief? (I assume this is the handkerchief Frederick sneakily sends you to collect.) I already blew it on the discovery skits and I don't care enough to follow a guide to get each and every one of the little star-point scenes, but if there's anything else particularly significant I'll give it a shot.

Besides a bunch of skits, this is the list of missable quests:

- Side Quest #1: Wishing the Pain Away
- Side Quest #2: A Private Conversation
- Side Quest #3: The Expendable Son
- Side Quest #4: Mr. Oswell's Secret 1
- Side Quest #5: Mr. Oswell's Secret 2
- Side Quest #6: A Cold Night
- Side Quest #7: Brotherhood
- Side Quest #14: An Offering of Flowers
- Side Quest #16: Frederic's Lost Treasure <--- handkerchief.

No handkerchief means you can't battle an extra boss and you won't be able to get the Platinum [if you care about that] unless you do another playthrough.

You can read the details [starting points] here: http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/604158-t...s-f/faqs/64132

[MechaX]

This FAQ I'm following has me doing all side-quest stuff after Yu Liberte or whatever, but the story has been pretty... boring so far. You mean to tell me it gets worse?

[Sagitario]

The problem relies mostly in the characters, not the story per se.

[Dark Schala]

This FAQ I'm following has me doing all side-quest stuff after Yu Liberte or whatever, but the story has been pretty... boring so far. You mean to tell me it gets worse?

If you find Asbel's foolish idealism bothersome, probably.

I thought it was blasé when I played through the game the first time, but I don't really come to Tales games (or games in general) for story anymore, not since Rebirth. After going through Graces a few more times on non-NG+ playthroughs, I've warmed up to the story, but I still come to Graces for the systems first and foremost. I'm in the minority for that sort of mindset, though.

However, with that said, as discussed earlier in the thread, it would be nice if Tales made some changes to its storytelling formula and some of its characterization in the future. Some stuff in Xillia got on my nerves, for example, and that was mostly due to one particular character.

[frequency]

This FAQ I'm following has me doing all side-quest stuff after Yu Liberte or whatever, but the story has been pretty... boring so far. You mean to tell me it gets worse?

For me it did.
I found the story and characters boring too. But it wasn't offensive.
Until the extra content. Someone earlier said it gave them personalities. Well... I prefer when they were just boring to the personalities that they got.

And the story also went from boring/generic to just stupid and bad for me.

I think the last time I was this unhappy with character/story progression was Star Ocean 4. Particularly Asbel and Hubert. Asbel really did go from just "being there" (which was inoffensive) to filling an archetype I dislike. It may be because this is fresh on my mind, but right now, I really do put him on the same level as Edge Maverick.

And Hubert was just... ugh...
I actually "liked" him the most in the main game. Now he and Asbel are at the very bottom of the list.

I do come to Tales (and most games in general) for characters and story and stuff though. So it probably affected me more than it would most people.

[Dark Schala]

I do come to Tales (and most games in general) for characters and story and stuff though. So it probably affected me more than it would most people.

Now, a Star Ocean 4 comparison is hyperbole. There is little to nothing redeemable about Star Ocean 4's cast and narrative. The voicework is filled with a ton of overacting, bad direction, or lacklustre performances, the dialogue is awful, the cast and character interactions are irritating, and the story makes me laugh in a bad way.

At least Graces' funnier lines made me genuinely chuckle.

And hey, at least Asbel didn't (major spoilers for Star Ocean 4) blow up a planet due to his nonexistent leadership.

Future Arc is not a godsend to Graces' middling narrative. It may or may not serve as a minor improvement. Lofty expectations were probably not the things to have given your lukewarm reception to the game before. NeoGAF has taught me that hype is a bad thing. :lol

And hey, I get you--your feelings about Graces mirror my feelings about Abyss, one character in Xillia, and a bulk of other game narratives, so I don't really think your post is off-base outside of the SO4 comparison.

[Esura]

I feel like the only one here who thinks extremely highly of Graces f's narrative and cast. Maybe I have lower standards. :(

[frequency]

It probably is hyperbole.
I don't mean that this is as bad as SO4 overall. I just mean that I'm feeling the same emotions right now as I did when I played that game.
For example, Asbel was just fine and I was indifferent about him through the main game. But then he became this really annoying character in the extra content. In the same way, I was pretty indifferent about Edge until the alternative universe planet explosion thing.
Or Hubert. I liked him the most in the main game, but then they pushed really hard with the Pascal infatuation thing and that totally changed his character.
That is sort of similar to how I felt about Faize. Faize was my favourite in the SO4 cast until that girl died.

The quality isn't the same, but the emotions I feel about it are.

Some skits are genuinely entertaining/funny. I was just really bothered by what the characters and story became in the extra content. The only one that stayed the same was Malik.

Maybe it just hit me harder because I literally played through ~40 hours to see it. I rarely ever replay games, and I just spent over a month of my gaming time to replay one that was pretty mediocre to me in the first place to see this content.

I probably should have watched some youtube videos or something first.

Oh well.
I'll just have to tell myself this is non-canon and ignore the extra content in any discussions I have about the game.
This must be how Star Wars fans feel about the prequel movies (more hyperbole?).

[cress2000]

I feel like the only one here who thinks extremely highly of Graces f's narrative and cast. Maybe I have lower standards. :(

I didn't have high expectations for this game's narrative (even though I am one of those who tend to derive enjoyment from Tales narratives), and I'd say those were mostly met. A lot of the plot stuff bothered me...more than usual.

The cast was mostly fun and enjoyable as usual (though I never came to like Asbel at all), though. ...But Sophie stood out more than I expected. I really liked her and she ranks highly on my list of lead heroines in the series. She grows a lot over the course of the story and I ate that all that stuff up.

The Lineage & Legacies ending is without a doubt my favorite one in the series. It's a lot different than the usual short and bittersweet affair that I'm accustomed to seeing in this series. I found it cute and satisfying.

[barrin87]

I feel like the only one here who thinks extremely highly of Graces f's narrative and cast. Maybe I have lower standards. :(

I have liked Tales of Graces and have had no real issues as well. The game definitely has the "believe in the power of friendship" feel to it but that's not surprising from the visuals. The game hasn't drawn me in where I start to actually care about each character and get emotionally vested in them. It's still a fantastic game and has a good story though.

My goal this weekend is to finish the last 2 levels of the Zhonecage and to complete the inn requests so I can move onto a new game +. Hopefully I will be able to do it.

[scy]

I feel like the only one here who thinks extremely highly of Graces f's narrative and cast. Maybe I have lower standards. :(

I think it's perfectly fine, really.

Then again, I didn't run away screaming from SO4 (actually, I kind of enjoyed SO4 until GAF told me I was wrong).

[Dedication Through Light]

I feel like the only one here who thinks extremely highly of Graces f's narrative and cast. Maybe I have lower standards. :(

Asbel has been my favorite of the tales protagonists, and Richard too.

[Jubern]

I don't hate the story and characters in Graces but find them really weak compared to, say, Vesperia (characters) and Xillia (characters AND story).

But even then, I wouldn't really say bad things about Graces. It's just... really simple. For better or worse.

[Loto]

I feel like the only one here who thinks extremely highly of Graces f's narrative and cast. Maybe I have lower standards. :(

No, game is awesome. One of the best RPGs I have played in a while.

[PixyJunket]

I feel like the only one here who thinks extremely highly of Graces f's narrative and cast. Maybe I have lower standards. :(

The cast as a whole is probably my favorite from all the Tales games I've played (which is *almost* all of them) but the plot is still pretty generic shonen anime tripe. I don't ever expect them to reach beyond that, not that I care much, since I'm playing for the battle system anyway.

[valentine71]

Fuck, i lost my 3 hours of progress when i accidently clicked on load on the menu. Fuck, fuck, fuck... Just because i was too lazy to save it.

[Dark Schala]

I'll just have to tell myself this is non-canon and ignore the extra content in any discussions I have about the game. This must be how Star Wars fans feel about the prequel movies (more hyperbole?).

Nah, I don't think it's that hyperbolic. :lol With the Star Wars prequels, a lot of the mythos surrounding the original movies felt like it was changed (ex: the force being a biology-based mechanism as opposed to something stemming from physics or a higher power that Jedi can wield; a shift towards politics politics politics as opposed to the outlaw society of mercs, pilots, and Jedi introduced in the first SW film, Jar Jar Binks, edits upon edits for the first three movies, etc). Going by what you're saying, a lot of your impressions came from how the characters changed in 6 months, so I sorta see where you're coming from.

I re-read a few of my posts and I feel like I came across as being a little mean about it. I'm sorry if it seemed that way, but I respect your opinion, and I definitely see where you're coming from with how you feel since I can empathize when it comes to other games. :)

I don't hate the story and characters in Graces but find them really weak compared to, say, Vesperia (characters) and Xillia (characters AND story). But even then, I wouldn't really say bad things about Graces. It's just... really simple. For better or worse.

I don't dislike Graces' narrative because the likes of Tempest, VS, and Rebirth have really bad narratives in comparison. One of Xillia's characters got on my nerves quite a bit at some points, though. :/

The Symphonia/Hearts' teams narratives generally seem more dramatic to me. They don't really move as fast, but I feel like I get a little more out of them than the Destiny teams' games. But with that said, I feel like the TD games' casts or character interactions are generally better/more cohesive.

I feel like the only one here who thinks extremely highly of Graces f's narrative and cast. Maybe I have lower standards. :(

Nah, don't say that. I don't have an overall problem with Graces' narrative, but I just look for other stuff to entertain me in videogame narratives. I don't think much of Tales narratives in general, anyway.

[nintendoman58]

Okay, I'm at the final boss on the New Game+ on Chaos.

HOLY CRAP IS HE ANNOYING! The stupid thing always makes those clankity sounds that do no damage at all. I'm at Lvl 72 with all my guys but it just won't work for me! What level should I be at to take this guy down on Chaos?

Also, here are my thoughts on the ending:

BAHAHAHAHAHA!

This ending is like a giant troll when Asbel stepped in and became Lambda's new host and decided to try and become friends with Lambda. I personally had no problem with it at first, but after a second playthrough, I could see where the hatred came from. You guys were expecting an emotional sad anime ending, and the whole thing fell apart and shocked all of you right when Asbel intervened.

You might hate me for saying this, but I think the Future arc redeems this somewhat.

It expands on the fact that Asbel now has to live with Lambda inside him, and when he's awakened, he's like some kind of dark subconscious to him, while Asbel still remains true to his light ideals. I thought it created a nice good side/dark side kind of twist on the main protagonist.

Well, that's my two cents.

[IntelliHeath]

I feel like the only one here who thinks extremely highly of Graces f's narrative and cast. Maybe I have lower standards. :(

No, you are not only one. I felt same about the game. I think I am simple man that got pleased by anything that are good to my eyes. Hell, I laughed at 2012: Ice Age because their special effect and story was borderline dumb.

I like all games that I played. I meant it. I even treasured E. Fantasia that considered shitty game by many people and I thought the game as decent. (It was my first PS2 rpg that I played.)

[Sagitario]

Haven't.Played.In.A.Week.
Too.Tired.To.Play.

#firstworldproblems

[frequency]

I re-read a few of my posts and I feel like I came across as being a little mean about it. I'm sorry if it seemed that way, but I respect your opinion, and I definitely see where you're coming from with how you feel since I can empathize when it comes to other games. :)

Not at all. I didn't get any meanness from them. Sorry if I seemed defensive or whiny.
I do fully admit that my reaction to the extra content is probably just because of my expectations. And since it's all so fresh on my mind, there's hyperbole in my statements. It may eventually be less offensive to me after some time has passed.

Also, here are my thoughts on the ending: BAHAHAHAHAHA! This ending is like a giant troll when Asbel stepped in and became Lambda's new host and decided to try and become friends with Lambda. I personally had no problem with it at first, but after a second playthrough, I could see where the hatred came from. You guys were expecting an emotional sad anime ending, and the whole thing fell apart and shocked all of you right when Asbel intervened. You might hate me for saying this, but I think the Future arc redeems this somewhat. It expands on the fact that Asbel now has to live with Lambda inside him, and when he's awakened, he's like some kind of dark subconscious to him, while Asbel still remains true to his light ideals. I thought it created a nice good side/dark side kind of twist on the main protagonist. Well, that's my two cents.

I did not mind the ending at all. I actually thought it was kind of nice. The short scene after the credits actually made me smile. The entire main story and everyone in it is okay to me.
By the end, I even got used to Pascal. I hated her localization at first.

It's not what I would call a good story and it's not something that would leave any impression or stick with me, but it was definitely nice. It just sat in the middle and I didn't like or dislike it. I am a bit bitter that I replayed the entire thing though. It took up over a month of my gaming time to get through. My backlog is pretty long.

In the Legacies thing though, I think they really trivialized Lambda and retroactively made Richard seem really weak. With Asbel, it was never a good/dark side thing for me. Lambda would say something mean (with terrible voice acting by the way) and Asbel would be like "RAINBOWS!" and then Lambda would be like "yeah I guess". Asbel ended up filling this "ultra nice and naive boy scout" role that I really dislike for protagonists. I think it was mainly his interactions with Lambda that really bothered me. He was still fine in a lot of the skits actually. It was in the story cutscene stuff where he was just... insufferable. And I feel the theme in the main story was friendship. In the extra content, it was more a focus on how great Asbel is.

[grandjedi6]

Graces's story was fine at the beginning but starts falling rapidly as Asbel gets shittier. As the plot continues Asbel just stops being a leader and does nothing but make stupid decisions to elongate the plot. And it doesn't help either, that for long stretches of the game, most of the cast had little motivation for being there.

Basically, had Yuri been the protangonist rather than Asbel, the game's plot would have been 10x better (but also 10x shorter).

[charlequin]

Basically, had Yuri been the protangonist rather than Asbel, the game's plot would have been 10x better (but also 10x shorter).

But this is true of every Tales game.

And almost every non-Tales JRPG.