[chickdigger802]

http://insertcredit.com/2012/04/09/tales-of-tales/

The Tales series is extremely famous for having strong casts of characters — how are these characters devised? Do you begin with the artwork and then proceed to scenario, or is the other way around? This can vary a bit depending on the title’s producer, but generally we start by creating the characters first. In particular, the hero and heroine serve as the core of the story, so we decide things like their age, sex, and how they talk, and then work on creating the supporting characters. Once we have the characters developed to a certain degree, we can start work on the game’s story. What is the most important element of an RPG’s gameplay design, and why? Even though RPGs are games, they are also stories, so I think the depiction of the hero and heroine’s experiences leading up to the end of the game is particularly important. How do they change and grow through their interactions with their friends and through their adventures? The player takes on the roles of the hero and heroine, so it’s important that they are able to empathize with them. Once you have this, then you can work on making it enjoyable as a game. Tales is also famous for having action-based battles. How do you design these battles to make them accessible to casual players, yet deep? We always try to make sure our battle systems have the right balance of fun. RPGs feature a lot of combat, and that’s because it’s an indispensible way of having your characters grow and develop. But it’s a game, after all, so you have to keep it fun as well. So we try to design systems that let the player fight battle after battle and still have fun with it. How do you balance battle control schemes to make them easy to understand and execute commands, yet deep, as well? There are many different kinds of players — some want to enjoy the story, while others care more about the gameplay itself. So we use things like different levels of difficulty to make the game enjoyable for both types — players who may not be very good at combat, and players who want to delve deeper into the battle system. But regardless of which type of player you are, we always try and make the game enjoyable without requiring difficult controls. The Tales series has dedicated fans in the U.S. but not the same success as in Japan. What do you think about its status in the West? Are you satisfied? The Tales series has been developed with Japanese players in mind, so achieving success in Japan is a major goal for us. But when the development schedule makes it possible, we do like to create localized versions for some titles in the hopes that players outside of Japan will hear about the series and get to like it. While Japanese consumers remain a priority for us, as long as certain conditions are met, we do plan to continue releasing localized versions of our games for our fans outside of Japan. In the U.S., players are often in their 20s or even above, but it seems most Japanese RPGs are aimed at teenagers — they often feature young protagonists. Is this true, and if so, why? It is true that the number of teenage JRPG players is higher in Japan than elsewhere, but I wouldn’t say that teenagers are the main audience overall. We think of people in their late teens and early twenties as being the main audience for JRPGs. As for the issue of young protagonists in JRPGs, this is just my personal opinion, but characters in Japanese anime have traditionally been relatively young, so having grown up watching this kind of anime, I think we Japanese don’t feel that having young protagonists in JRPGs is particularly unusual. If you agree, does this make it difficult to create products with global appeal? When you’re trying to come up with a global strategy, it’s tempting to use gameplay or artistic expressions that can be easily accepted outside of Japan as well. But as I said earlier, the games in the Tales series are created first and foremost so they can be enjoyed by Japanese players. Then we give them to players outside of Japan. If we worried too much about what foreign players might think when we were developing them, we wouldn’t be able to take full advantage of our strengths as game creators. That’s our first priority — to preserve what makes the Tales series so great. It’s up to the foreign players whether they like them or not. As I understand it, Tales of Graces was the first 3D game from Team Destiny. How was the transition, both from artwork and gameplay perspectives? While there are of course some fundamental differences between 2D and 3D graphics, there weren’t really any big changes. The Tales of Graces team was able to make use of the knowledge we gained from Tales of the Abyss and Tales of Vesperia. We were able to carry over the warm, watercolor-like art style that we used in the 2D games, and there weren’t any major changes in the basic gameplay either. Tales games usually have detailed 3D backgrounds — environments that give you a sense of the place you are visiting. Can you talk about why this is important? We think of RPGs as games where you experience an adventure along with the main character. They give you a chance to get away from the city or town where you live and have an adventure in a new world. When you go to a different country, they have a different culture, and with a different culture comes another lifestyle. We try to make each new location memorable, and we work hard to allow the player to experience a location’s culture and enjoy its atmosphere, so I’m glad to hear you mention that. The interiors and props are all made with the town’s culture and characteristics in mind. We try to maintain a uniform look, whether it’s the outward appearance of a town, or the inside of its buildings. Every single Tales game has a different, sentence-length “genre” in Japanese. [I.e. TOGf is "守る強さを知るRPG", or "To Know the Strength to Protect RPG".] Can you talk about the philosophy behind these? How are they chosen? Is it something that’s set out before the project/writing begins, or at the end? Of course, the “genres” chosen for each game all have meanings. Each of the Tales games has a theme. You can think of this theme as a message that we want to communicate to the player through the game, and we thoroughly incorporate the theme into the game’s narrative. Once the story is complete, we come up with a “genre” that expresses that game’s theme or message in a way that’s easy to understand. So while we might have a general idea of what a game’s theme or image might be when the project starts, we don’t make the final decision about the “genre” until after the game story is finished. How is Tales Studio structured? Tales of Graces and Tales of Vesperia were by different teams, correct? How many teams are there in the studio right now? Yes, each game was developed by different teams. However, at the moment we don’t have our staff strictly divided into development teams. Instead, we create teams for each title, taking into account the staff members that are required for a particular project.

Pretty much : "We don't care that you don't like cute moe stuff. Japan is priority of this series (otaku/fetish dlc!). Also we will release games over in the west if the numbers are right."



I still find modern tales games to have zero depth but still relatively entertaining to play.

They really do need to turn it into a micro based RTS CoH style or something so that you can actually 'manage' your whole party and not like 3 out of 4 characters to incompetent AI.

Or give us something like FF12 Gambit system.

I'll still take Xillia ;P

How did Graces F and Abyss 3ds perform?

[DarknessTear]

Tales games are fun and should stay the way they are, but maybe with better music. Sakuraba said he'd try something new next time, so we'll see.

[chickdigger802]

Tales games are fun and should stay the way they are, but maybe with better music. Sakuraba said he'd try something new next time, so we'll see.

lol nah. His work do tend to mirror the 'effort' w/e tales team puts in their games though.

[DarknessTear]

Did you even play Graces F, by the way? The battle system is amazing. If the series grows in that direction, then it should work out just fine.

[Reuenthal]

Maybe you can better read between the lines but I don't think it is impossible to see more localized Tales games. Doesn't come off that negative to western releases of some of their games. From the article:

The Tales series has dedicated fans in the U.S. but not the same success as in Japan. What do you think about its status in the West? Are you satisfied? The Tales series has been developed with Japanese players in mind, so achieving success in Japan is a major goal for us. But when the development schedule makes it possible, we do like to create localized versions for some titles in the hopes that players outside of Japan will hear about the series and get to like it. While Japanese consumers remain a priority for us, as long as certain conditions are met, we do plan to continue releasing localized versions of our games for our fans outside of Japan.

[Crewnh]

Hey, I like anime bullshit occasionally. Just the art style in Tales games bothers me, so if they don't want to try something different, that's cool.

[rockx4]

Graces f is okay, but the characters killed the game for me after about 5 hours. Hated adult Asbel and Cheria. I finished that Wallbridge part and couldn't force myself to go any further. In comparison I was able to finish Vesperia in a week without getting bored.

[PumpkinPie]

Aside from graphics the Tales games have made no advancements since the SNES era, that said, I was surprised at how much fun I had playing Abyss 3DS.

[rockx4]

Aside from graphics the Tales games have made no advancements since the SNES era, that said, I was surprised at how much fun I had playing Abyss 3DS.

Abyss was still fun for me when I replayed it on the 3DS.

[Truth101]

Aside from graphics the Tales games have made no advancements since the SNES era, that said, I was surprised at how much fun I had playing Abyss 3DS.

That is false.

[Ignis Fatuus]

That is false.

It has regressed. Tales of Phantasia is the best game in the series.

[Esura]

This eases any concerns I had. I like Tales for what it is.

Don't ever change...well change somewhat though. Just don't Westernize ever.

[Jarmel]

TLDR: "Fuck off westerners. We don't give a fuck that you don't like cute moe stuff. Also we will release games over there only if you lick my feet."

Come on now. That's troll bait. It's nowhere near as harsh in the interview and they just mainly aim for their own culture and population base to sell the games. Nothing wrong with targeting a familiar culture.

[PumpkinPie]

That is false.

After playing Abyss, Symphonia and Vesperia, I really saw nothing that wasn't already there during Phantasia.

[Esura]

After playing Abyss, Symphonia and Vesperia, I really saw nothing that wasn't already there during Phantasia.

Then play Graces f and be amazed.

[Zeouterlimits]

Come on now. That's troll bait. It's nowhere near as harsh in the interview and they just mainly aim for their own culture and population base to sell the games. Nothing wrong with targeting a familiar culture.

Yeah, that's how I read it.
Fair enough for them. If anything I just feel they don't get much marketing, here in Europe at least.

[Sviatoslav]

Aside from graphics the Tales games have made no advancements since the SNES era, that said, I was surprised at how much fun I had playing Abyss 3DS.

It has regressed. Tales of Phantasia is the best game in the series.

The combat and sub-systems in Graces make it hard to go back to Vesperia but, Phantasia? Phantasia is pretty much unplayable at this point.

[airmangataosenai]

I always feel like the Tales team never gets credit for some of their bolder storyline decisions, where they introduce themes or plot points that run counter to standard anime tropes. When I say this, I'm talking about Abyss and Vesperia in particular. People unfamiliar with anime just assume it's all just cliche because they can't get past the art style, which makes their analysis and critique pretty shallow. That's not to say that all Tales games are created equal, obviously Graces doesn't make any attempt at the sort of experimentation I described.

[Alextended]

Dude seems perfectly reasonable in the interview, dunno why the attitude was added in the OP, it's neither funny nor faithful.

[Ignis Fatuus]

The combat and sub-systems in Graces make it hard to go back to Vesperia but, Phantasia? Phantasia is pretty much unplayable at this point.

PSX version then. Boom.

[BHK3]

The TLDR doesn't fit the title. Why is Tales not just anime bullshit?

[Sviatoslav]

PSX version then. Boom.

Doesn't the PSX version of Phantasia still pause the game whenever spells are cast? The combat in general in Phantasia is just so simplistic and well, boring compared to current Tales of battle systems.

[Ignis Fatuus]

Doesn't the PSX version of Phantasia still pause the game whenever spells are cast?

Depends on the spell iirc.

The combat in general in Phantasia is just so simplistic and well, boring compared to current Tales of battle systems.

It's more than playable, it's fun and intuitive. And it has by far the best plot and characters because the creator immediately left afterwards and went off to make Tri-Ace.

[AliceAbstract]

The combat and sub-systems in Graces make it hard to go back to Vesperia but, Phantasia? Phantasia is pretty much unplayable at this point.

The SNES version? Yes. But I thoroughly enjoyed my play through of the full voice edition on PSP several months back.

It doesn't have as many shiny button combat and gameplay systems as the new games of course, but the cast and story is still the best.

[Mr. Pointy]

The Tales series is more or less fine as it is. They've locked down a fun core combat system and distinct anime presentation. Everything else just depends on what effort the team put in.

[Kusagari]

Vesperia is the best Tales because it, mainly in regards to how Yuri is handled, goes against the general anime bullshit in other Tales games.

I don't mind anime bullshit, but man it was refreshing to see a main character in a Tales game who just doesn't give a fuck.

[Sviatoslav]

Depends on the spell iirc. It's more than playable, it's fun and intuitive. And it has by far the best plot and characters because the creator immediately left afterwards and went off to make Tri-Ace.

The SNES version? Yes. But I thoroughly enjoyed my play through of the full voice edition on PSP several months back. It doesn't have as many shiny button combat and gameplay systems as the new games of course, but the cast and story is still the best.

Well I guess that's where our differences lie. I don't really have much love for the Phantasia characters and plot and the gameplay advancements in the franchise since then make it hard to go back.

[GrandHarrier]

While I agree that Tales games are anime bullshit and terrible for the most part, it's no different than when Japanese gamers write off Western games as "Western Dogshit". To each their own.

[GrandHarrier]

Vesperia is the best Tales because it, mainly in regards to how Yuri is handled, goes against the general anime bullshit in other Tales games. I don't mind anime bullshit, but man it was refreshing to see a main character in a Tales game who just doesn't give a fuck.

Agreed. Yuri was mildly redeeming.

[StunandStab]

While I agree that Tales games are anime bullshit and terrible for the most part, it's no different than when Japanese gamers write off Western games as "Western Dogshit". To each their own.

Yeah, I'd rather play anime bullshit than western dogshit

[Rodney McKay]

Yeah, I'd rather play anime bullshit than western dogshit

I'd rather play good games. But I guess that's just me. ;)

[MCD]

Vesperia had both of the two worlds: Animu + Batman.

Why can't they give us more of Vesperia?

[Reuenthal]

Vesperia had both of the two worlds: Animu + Batman. Why can't they give us more of Vesperia?

Batman? Elaborate.

[Son1x]

Batman? Elaborate.

Well, I guess both Yuri and Batman are vigilantes. Don't see any other connection though.

Still, I was surprised by Yuri, never expected a main character to be so awesome in a Tales game.

[GrandHarrier]

Well, I guess Yuri is kind of a vigilante. Don't see any other connection though. Still, I was surprised by Yuri, never expected a main character to be so awesome in a Tales game.

Any anime game where you aren't a whiny or angsty teenager is already + 1 in my book.

[Cyrano]

Yeah, I'd rather play anime bullshit than western dogshit

Most games are some combination of the two, really.

[gogogow]

http://insertcredit.com/2012/04/09/tales-of-tales/ A bit long to Copy and Paste. TLDR: "Fuck off westerners. We don't give a fuck that you don't like cute moe stuff. Also we will release games over there only if you lick my feet."

Uhm.....the entire interview isn't long at all. It's just one page and half of it is a "introductory" piece by the writer. You can easily copy and paste and bold the interesting parts.

Also your TLDR part is WAY off. "Fuck off westerners" is QUITE different than:

the games in the Tales series are created first and foremost so they can be enjoyed by Japanese players. Then we give them to players outside of Japan. If we worried too much about what foreign players might think when we were developing them, we wouldn’t be able to take full advantage of our strengths as game creators. That’s our first priority — to preserve what makes the Tales series so great. It’s up to the foreign players whether they like them or not.

The way it should be. All those Japanese developed games with "Western appeal", created for Western audience went so well....

[BlackIronCount]

the games in the Tales series are created first and foremost so they can be enjoyed by Japanese players. Then we give them to players outside of Japan. If we worried too much about what foreign players might think when we were developing them, we wouldn’t be able to take full advantage of our strengths as game creators. That’s our first priority — to preserve what makes the Tales series so great. It’s up to the foreign players whether they like them or not.

This is nice thing to hear from JP dev.
now if only their western branch could more interested to localize even more their japanese game, rather than focused on making mediocre stuff like inversion.

[Paracelsus]

The diversity must come from environments, not the art direction per se. Really, at this point it is the only thing they could learn from triAce.

[WrikaWrek]

When it comes down to it, Japan has a different sensibility. It will be forever hard to make games that appeal there and here at the same time.

[ZoddGutts]

Dude seems perfectly reasonable in the interview, dunno why the attitude was added in the OP, it's neither funny nor faithful.

Gotta find a way to bait people to this thread.

[Slayven]

Only liked tales of mythology.

[PSFan]

They should hire Akira Yamaoka or Mitsuda to do the next OST

[Jubern]

Being a big Tales fan who will buy every episode as soon as it comes out in Japan, I'm amazed by the people who think Phantasia was the pinnacle of the series.

It was definitely above a lot of other episode in terms of story, characterization and narration. The music was also among the best the series ever had. But everything gameplay related? Not a chance. Especially compared to Team Destiny output.

[Castor Krieg]

The art style is C-Grade anime. Have balls to change that and we will talk. As it stands I have enough to play without Tales.

[Reuenthal]

Being a big Tales fan who will buy every episode as soon as it comes out in Japan, I'm amazed by the people who think Phantasia was the pinnacle of the series. It was definitely above a lot of other episode in terms of story, characterization and narration. The music was also among the best the series ever had. But everything gameplay related? Not a chance. Especially compared to Team Destiny output.

Which is the best Tales game in your view?

[Rahxephon91]

It could at least be good anime.

[chickdigger802]

Did you even play Graces F, by the way? The battle system is amazing. If the series grows in that direction, then it should work out just fine.

yeah. The combat works nicely... but it would work best if the game didn't have 3 incompetent AI rolling around. Having to constantly revive my hoomies that don't know how to play defensive (even with the proper AI)... not fun.

And yeah... was a teeny bit angry a few hours ago BECAUSE of a Graces F boss fight ;P

Will 'calm' the OP post a bit ;P

[R_thanatos]

After playing Abyss, Symphonia and Vesperia, I really saw nothing that wasn't already there during Phantasia.

Fonon circles ? and skill enhancements on the battle field ?

fatal strikes ?

^^^Those were in phantasia ?

I bet you never played phantasia Snes to make that statement ... Phantasia Snes Forces the player to go back to the starting point each time you attack ..


I know how this thread will go ..i've seen it last week .. and that's why i'm out ...i'm tired of those " are all the same " .."it's always anime !!"

[BassForever]

When it comes down to it, Japan has a different sensibility. It will be forever hard to make games that appeal there and here at the same time.

It really shouldn't have to be, Tales of Symphonia showed there was a market for these games outside of Japan, ToS just wasn't as successful in Japan as it could have been if it was on the PS2 and Namco Bandai refuses to do multi platform on any Tales title unless it's a later enhanced port (ToS PS2, ToV PS3, etc). They've also never really given the hand held market a fair shake, the only hand held titles we ever got were a bad port of ToP and a cross over (Radiant Mythology) with characters that haven't even gotten official US releases yet.