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[Sqorgar]

To be fair, besides minutia's in combat system (which you can just spam an effective combo and beat most games) the rest of the 'game' does follow a similar 'path' each game in terms of story progression/setup, world design, character tropes, skits, etc. It really isn't that much different from your typical CoD title for people that aren't die hard fans. Heck there are even different 'dev teams' that each have their pros and cons.

I haven't played all the Tales games, but I don't think that's true. I mean, above and beyond the fact that they are JRPGs and play well within the boundaries set forth by the genre.

Maybe the mainline Tales games all play the same, but the "escort" titles vary considerably - you've got tactics games, fighting games, Dynasty Warrior-like beat'em ups, monster collecting, and dungeon crawls.

I'm really curious what games all these people saying "Tales games are all the same" have played, because I really don't think you could say something like that unless the only Tales games you've played have been Symphonia, Abyss, and Vesperia.

 

[Deified Data]

But if it gets to the point where none of the japan-o-centric games come over, then I think we still lose.

If it gets to that point, my finger is pointing at publishers unwilling to take risks over developers who "fail" to appeal to the west. I agree. I don't want this climate to become unfriendly towards foreign games. But I think that's our problem, not their's.

 

[luka]

I wish more Japanese developers had an attitude like this. Make the games you want to make for the people that appreciate them first, look at other markets and venues second.
Personally I'm not the biggest fan of the series. I liked Phantasia on PSX, adored the everloving heck out of Destiny DC, but none of the other games really clicked with me. I haven't tried Vesperia or Xillia yet however and I hear they're pretty good...

 

[Bebpo]

It's not really anime bullshit we're tired of, but generic shonen bullshit.

Graces has the plot of like every shoujo manga ever.

 

[chickdigger802]

I haven't played all the Tales games, but I don't think that's true. I mean, above and beyond the fact that they are JRPGs and play well within the boundaries set forth by the genre.

Maybe the mainline Tales games all play the same, but the "escort" titles vary considerably - you've got tactics games, fighting games, Dynasty Warrior-like beat'em ups, monster collecting, and dungeon crawls.

I'm really curious what games all these people saying "Tales games are all the same" have played, because I really don't think you could say something like that unless the only Tales games you've played have been Symphonia, Abyss, and Vesperia.

that is pretty much it. Don't believe Destiny sold at all, heck, Abyss came out the same time as FF12 right? smh.

And besides that 1 psp game, none of the spinoffs have ever been localized (I think), so you can't really blame people about that (while most of the musou games have been).

 

[Deified Data]

Graces has the plot of like every shoujo manga ever.

Joke post?

 

[scy]

Graces has the plot of like every shoujo manga ever.

I must read the wrong shoujo.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

I agree with you A tales of that would try to appeal to the west would be a clear fail in my book .. the serie is great for what it is ..and they shouldn't change that approach

I know one thing for damn sure, we wouldn't see combat THIS flashy yet functional out of a western-bait Tales game.

That success is due to overpriced dlc fetish outfits ;P

And how! Did you see the |OT|? People were hungering for at launch! Itprintsmoney.gif

If it gets to that point, my finger is pointing at publishers unwilling to take risks over developers who "fail" to appeal to the west. I agree. I don't want this climate to become unfriendly towards foreign games. But I think that's our problem, not their's.

It's both. Tales may be anime as hell, but it's not an off-putting kind. Well, not off-putting to those not "EWWW JAPANESE STUFF GOTTA BE MOE SHIT LOLZ", anyways. It's inoffensive kid fare that doesn't laser-focus in on tropes and fetishes of a certain high-margin clientele who shall remain nameless and turn its back on anyone else in the search.

 

[RedSwirl]

Also, I think the problem a lot of people have with Japan right now is that they are just about the only culture on Earth that makes games just for them. That's why "western" really just means every country that isn't Japan.

Countries all over Europe make games for the global market. Even Eastern European games are palatable to American PC gamers. Hell, even most Chinese and Korean games resemble European PC games more than they do Japanese games.

I think it's good that Japan does this in order to retain their particular gaming culture (like every culture does with film, music, etc.), but you have to admit it is kind of isolating their market from the rest of the world.

 

[Sqorgar]

that is pretty much it. Don't believe Destiny sold at all, heck, Abyss came out the same time as FF12 right? smh.

And besides that 1 psp game, none of the spinoffs have ever been localized (I think), so you can't really blame people about that (while most of the musou games have been).

Released in the US:

Tales of Phantasia (GBA)
Tales of Destiny (PSX)
Tales of Eternia (PSX)
Tales of Symphonia (Cube)
Tales of Legendia (PS2)
Tales of the Abyss (PS2/3DS)
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology (PSP)
Tales of Vesperia (360)
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (Wii)
Tales of Graces F (PS3)

There have been lots of Tales games released besides those three.

 

[SMT]

No mention of Vesperia enhanced PS3? Someone put a slight bit of pressure on them by mentioning a localized version of it, at the least.
If only fans were conducting these interviews, sure it would get uncomfortable with all the lists of demands, breathing heavily down one's neck, ransoms, and coercion, but still.

 

[Deified Data]

Also, I think the problem a lot of people have with Japan right now is that they are just about the only culture on Earth that makes games just for them. That's why "western" really just means every country that isn't Japan.

Countries all over Europe make games for the global market. Even Eastern European games are palatable to American PC gamers. Hell, even most Chinese and Korean games resemble European PC games more than they do Japanese games.

I think it's good that Japan does this in order to retain their particular gaming culture (like every culture does with film, music, etc.), but you have to admit it is kind of isolating their market from the rest of the world.

Thing is, the west develops for itself as well. It's just that in this day and age, "western markets" and "global markets" are one and the same. When we say we want Japan to embrace a new "global perspective", what we really mean is we want them to embrace a "western perspective".

 

[Shouta]

It's becoming increasingly obvious that Tales games now occupy the same Western respect threshold as the Dynasty Warriors games. Fans can go into infinite detail about the differences between various iterations - even between different ports of the same game - while the rest of the people just go "meh, they are all the same" (because they played two of them and they were more similar to each other than any other game, and therefore, all the games in the entire series must be identical).

Yep. Honestly, a lot people have a strong reaction to the trappings in Tales games and that in turn affects the reaction to the rest of it. If you changed the art style, stripped some of the more fanservice/Japan orientated stuff, and maybe tighten up the writing a tad, more people would eat it up.

 

[chickdigger802]

Released in the US:

Tales of Phantasia (GBA)
Tales of Destiny (PSX)
Tales of Eternia (PSX)
Tales of Symphonia (Cube)
Tales of Legendia (PS2)
Tales of the Abyss (PS2/3DS)
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology (PSP)
Tales of Vesperia (360)
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (Wii)
Tales of Graces F (PS3)

There have been lots of Tales games released besides those three.

True. But how many kept up with the whole series? You pretty much need every console to keep up with this series. It's worse than KH!

Also the whole 'beta' version of recent tales games and with the real version on ps3 is kinda bullshit :/

 

[Dark Schala]

I'm really curious what games all these people saying "Tales games are all the same" have played, because I really don't think you could say something like that unless the only Tales games you've played have been Symphonia, Abyss, and Vesperia.

Wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.

No mention of Vesperia enhanced PS3? Someone put a slight bit of pressure on them by mentioning a localized version of it, at the least.

That ship has sailed.

I know one thing for damn sure, we wouldn't see combat THIS flashy yet functional out of a western-bait Tales game.

I don't even think there'd be hi-ougi cut-ins in this theoretical western-focused Tales game. I think the hi-ougis would take as long as Knights of the Round or some of FFVIII's summons, tbh. >.>

 

[randomkid]

Saying that Tales is anime bullshit/filled with anime cliches is like saying Mass Effect is filled with space marine cliches. It's true, but it's a gross simplification.

One thing I think a lot of people don't understand is that Japan is a different culture. The tropes that inspire them and fill them with heartfelt confidence and admiration, we may look at as shallow and stupid because we don't have the same background or day to day living experiences. The Tales games do not choose to work outside of the tried and true tropes, but that's okay. Skyrim didn't either. There's nothing wrong with genre works.

You either like it or you don't, but I think it's unfair to blame a Japanese RPG for being too Japanese RPG-y. Personally, of the anime bullshit JRPGs out there, I think the Tales games have a particular style and substance that puts them well above 'generic', even when compared against other Tales games.

No one is denying that different cultures can have different tropes. What people like me dislike about Tales games is how irritatingly these tropes are executed. There are few games out there that present characters, dialogue, cutscene direction, character designs and plots in as offputting and exasperating a fashion as this series, especially given its pedigree and budget.

I also resent the implication that Tales games represent Japanese cultural preferences or Japan staying true to Japan or whatever. Japanese culture isn't monolithic and there are a bunch of different Japanese styles out there with differing tropes or varying executions of those tropes. There's nothing quintissentially "Japanese" about Tales games, it's just a specific subset with its own fanbase.

Edit: Hahaha just now seeing Satellite's post and I guess I just have to say that there's this particularly relentless style of generic I associate strongly with Tales that just bugs the everliving shit out of me.

 

[NeededSleep]

Wont be happy till i see more Tales of the World releases here in NA.
The first was so much fun!

 

[Datschge]

Stopped at "Extremely famous for having strong casts of characters." Because that is fucking false.

Well, that statement is kind of backward, but from Bandai Namco's point of view (like this producer's) the characters with their background, design and voice talents are the core feature of the Tales series. How much so can be seen when one looks at all the differences between Innocence DS and Innocence R on Vita (the former developed by Alfa System, the latter by 7th Chord), plenty of the actual game design that the developer had to plan and realize changed a lot between the two versions, while the characters and story, handled by Bandai Namco, did not besides the addition of two useless new characters. And nearly all Tales merchandising focuses on the characters.

 

[Ghost_Protocol]

The Tales series has absolutely become anime bullshit. It's the harem comedy of JRPGs. Every season the same goddamn story with different looking characters and a slightly different to moderately different hook.

Abyss and Vesperia are only slightly better than the rest because they work harder to get you to care about a handful of characters.

 

[Odrion]

"Hah! Just kidding. It IS Anime bullshit."

 

[kswiston]

The Tales series has absolutely become anime bullshit. It's the harem comedy of JRPGs. Every season the same goddamn story with different looking characters and a slightly different to moderately different hook.

To be fair, you could dismiss any game series in a similar fashion.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Thing is, the west develops for itself as well. It's just that in this day and age, "western markets" and "global markets" are one and the same. When we say we want Japan to embrace a new "global perspective", what we really mean is we want them to embrace a "western perspective".

A "western perspective" that is no country's, not even America's, really. The only other place that can boast that is E. European PC fare, but that doesn't catch hell as its not cartoony and is in genres like flight sims, medieval strategy, and TBS where scary complicated stuff lives.

I don't even think there'd be hi-ougi cut-ins in this theoretical western-focused Tales game. I think the hi-ougis would take as long as Knights of the Round or some of FFVIII's summons, tbh. >.>

It'd be that rote "clunky that prevents you from getting killed" sorta way that's been eating up ARPG mechanics too often. Unresponsive, uninvolved, unfun, and completely wasting the potential "action" has to bring to an ARPG.

No one is denying that different cultures can have different tropes. What people like me dislike about Tales games is how irritatingly these tropes are executed. There are few games out there that present characters, dialogue, cutscene direction, character designs and plots in as offputting and exasperating a fashion as this series, especially given its pedigree and budget.

I also resent the implication that Tales games represent Japanese cultural preferences or Japan staying true to Japan or whatever. Japanese culture isn't monolithic and there are a bunch of different Japanese styles out there with differing tropes or varying executions of those tropes. There's nothing quintissentially "Japanese" about Tales games, it's just a specific subset with its own fanbase.

Edit: Hahaha just now seeing Satellite's post and I guess I just have to say that there's this particularly relentless style of generic I associate strongly with Tales that just bugs the everliving shit out of me.

It's colorful, whimsical, and comforting; especially the good characters (Pascal!) They just try to punch above their weight class in plot and character development is all.

 

[Sqorgar]

True. But how many kept up with the whole series? You pretty much need every console to keep up with this series. It's worse than KH!

Well, it's not like Symphonia, Abyss, and Vesperia were all on the same system either, but that's what everybody seems to have played (though if they played Legendia, perhaps they just forgot... on purpose).

Also the whole 'beta' version of recent tales games and with the real version on ps3 is kinda bullshit :/

It's pretty common in the series, and has been since Phantasia's PSX remake. For instance, Symphonia had a "superior" PS2 port (had terrible loading times, but more content). In fact, the whole improved port/remake thing is probably more common than not.

There's nothing quintissentially "Japanese" about Tales games, it's just a specific subset with its own fanbase.

Actually, I think "quintessential" is a good word for the feeling they are going for.

Wont be happy till i see more Tales of the World releases here in NA.
The first was so much fun!

Tales of the World is an umbrella title for the fanservice titles featuring characters from all the different series - basically broken into the Narikiri Dungeon games and the Radiant Mythology games.

And yes, I agree. I understand Radiant Mythology 2 and 3 are considerably improved in every way over the first one.

 

[Ghost_Protocol]

To be fair, you could dismiss any game series in a similar fashion.

No you can't. The Tales series is uniquely awful at recycling its design over and over again, generation to generation, on handhelds and consoles. Other than Dynasty Warriors, nothing else is as shamelessly lazy or stubborn to change.

 

[kswiston]

No you can't. The Tales series is uniquely awful at recycling its ideas over and over again, generation to generation, on handhelds and consoles. Other than Dynasty Warriors, nothing else is as shamelessly lazy or stubborn to change.

Zelda? Mario? Monster Hunter? Pokemon?

Lots of game series stick to a formula. If I buy a Pokemon game, I am pretty sure I will have to fight 8 gym leaders and the Elite four. They even recycle a lot of the Pokemon between generations. How many different sets of bird or butterfly pokemon do we need?

 

[Rpgmonkey]

No you can't. The Tales series is uniquely awful at recycling its design over and over again, generation to generation, on handhelds and consoles. Other than Dynasty Warriors, nothing else is as shamelessly lazy or stubborn to change.

I won't disagree that some things have remained static for quite a while, but what exactly would you say hasn't changed, apparently for generations?

The Dynasty Warriors comparison makes me think you're saying they haven't bothered whatsoever to change or take things up a notch in say, presentation or gameplay.

 

[randomkid]

It's colorful, whimsical, and comforting; especially the good characters (Pascal!) They just try to punch above their weight class in plot and character development is all.

Ha, you see, when I think colorful, whimsical, and comforting, I think Dragon Quest, Ni no Kuni, the Mario RPGs, Little King's Story etc. Tales has this really exasperating by the numbers feel to it that I'm guessing has to do with the ossified tastes of its loyal fanbase. I got no beef with people who are in it for the combat or whatever, I just get annoyed when people try to extrapolate Tales conventions and aesthetics to the whole of Japan.

 

[Man God]

The thread title is perfectly accurate.

There is other stuff besides the anime bullshit that is in every game. Fun combat systems! Going back to some town for no reason in the middle of an important quest to do a missable sidequest! Racism!

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Ha, you see, when I think colorful, whimsical, and comforting, I think Dragon Quest, Ni no Kuni, the Mario RPGs, Little King's Story etc. Tales has this really exasperating by the numbers feel to it that I'm guessing has to do with the ossified tastes of its loyal fanbase. I got no beef with people who are in it for the combat or whatever, I just get annoyed when people try to extrapolate Tales conventions and aesthetics to the whole of Japan.

Now more than ever with the Christmas Cake rule applying to console & PC gaming over there.

 

[Jim E. Rossler]

Zelda? Mario? Monster Hunter? Pokemon?

Lots of game series stick to a formula. If I buy a Pokemon game, I am pretty sure I will have to fight 8 gym leaders and the Elite four. They even recycle a lot of the Pokemon between generations. How many different sets of bird or butterfly pokemon do we need?

NOOOO you dont UNDERSTAND
I LIKE those games.

 

[Sqorgar]

No you can't. The Tales series is uniquely awful at recycling its design over and over again, generation to generation, on handhelds and consoles. Other than Dynasty Warriors, nothing else is as shamelessly lazy or stubborn to change.

How many Tales games have you played? Or Dynasty Warriors games, for that matter...

 

[kuroshiki]

No you can't. The Tales series is uniquely awful at recycling its design over and over again, generation to generation, on handhelds and consoles. Other than Dynasty Warriors, nothing else is as shamelessly lazy or stubborn to change.

Uh.

Dude. you know that most of beloved franchise is basically exactly what you described, right?

I mean, look at CoD, GT, Halo, etc. Same shit. over and over and over again.

 

[Urban Scholar]

It's not really anime bullshit we're tired of, but generic shonen bullshit.

I agree with this.

 

[luka]

For instance, Symphonia had a "superior" PS2 port (had terrible loading times, but more content).

don't forget 30 fps!

 

[PKrockin]

Where in that interview did the thread title come from? I don't see where he addresses the "Tales is generic anime bullshit" claim.

 

[Datschge]

Where in that interview did the thread title come from? I don't see where he addresses the "Tales is generic anime bullshit" claim.

It's paraphrasing the author's opinion in his article piece leading to the interview, not a part within the interview itself.

 

[FSLink]

don't forget 30 fps!

and worse textures too! Man, the PS2 version was pretty awful. Since they like milking and releasing ports/remakes, they really need to get to Symphonia already. Just give it the Gamecube version's performance, PS2's extras, Abyss's battle system minus the FOFs, add Xillia's Link Artes, and touch up the graphics a bit.

 

[kswiston]

and worse textures too! Man, the PS2 version was pretty awful. Since they like milking and releasing ports/remakes, they really need to get to Symphonia already. Just give it the Gamecube version's performance, PS2's extras, Abyss's battle system minus the FOFs, add Xillia's Link Artes, and touch up the graphics a bit.

I am actually surprised that they didn't release Symphonia on 3DS first, given how popular the game was in the west. They could have released TotA afterwards.

 

[Criminal Upper]

Having played a little, and hearing about a long-time Tales fans experience with Graces F, the series absolutely needs to change, as it's getting increasingly harder and harder to care about such generic characters and cookie-cutter stories.

Battle system is still great tho.

 

[Sqorgar]

I am actually surprised that they didn't release Symphonia on 3DS first, given how popular the game was in the west. They could have released TotA afterwards.

Abyss was a quicky port with no extra features at all. If they did Symphonia, people would expect the extra features of the PS2 game with the texture and silky smooth gameplay of the Cube version. With Abyss, people are just happy the load times aren't oppressively long.

 

[Bebpo]

Joke post?

Beautiful boys who really have deep feelings towards each other, forced to fight each other with angsty emotions while PROTECT PROTECT PROTECT girl. The only thing it's missing is the loli boy since it already has the glasses kid, the mature man, the feminine prince, the standard hero.

It's one of those things like X, where it's heavily pandering toward a female audience but trying to be action-enough for a male audience. Plays out like your standard Yuu Watase shoujo story.

Which makes sense, since a huge portion of Tales fanbase in Japan is female.

 

[Tellaerin]

Uh.

Dude. you know that most of beloved franchise is basically exactly what you described, right?

I mean, look at CoD, GT, Halo, etc. Same shit. over and over and over again.

That's the reason people stick with franchises. They keep coming back for the elements they like. There's an expectation that any sequels will stay true to the spirit of the series. Changes tend to be minor and incremental, gradually improving or expanding on elements the audience likes over time. When a series goes for a radical reinvention, it's usually because sales have become so flat that there's not a whole lot left to lose.

I get the feeling that the people wanting Namco to reinvent the Tales games never really cared for the core elements to begin with, and want the series to be reworked into something that's more to their liking. As a long-time Tales fan, I'm kind of glad that there doesn't seem to be any danger of that happening.

 

[FSLink]

Beautiful boys who really have deep feelings towards each other, forced to fight each other with angsty emotions while PROTECT PROTECT PROTECT girl. The only thing it's missing is the loli boy since it already has the glasses kid, the mature man, the feminine prince, the standard hero.

It's one of those things like X, where it's heavily pandering toward a female audience but trying to be action-enough for a male audience. Plays out like your standard Yuu Watase shoujo story.

Which makes sense, since a huge portion of Tales fanbase in Japan is female.

Yep. The artwork also resembles more shoujo-like designs, though that's just Inomata.

 

[Shouta]

Yep. The artwork also resembles more shoujo-like designs, though that's just Inomata.

Inomata's designs are aren't necessarily shoujo-like though, most of her other designs aren't for example but Graces is pretty flowery, colorful, and etc so yeah.

 

[Ghost_Protocol]

Zelda? Mario? Monster Hunter? Pokemon?

Lots of game series stick to a formula. If I buy a Pokemon game, I am pretty sure I will have to fight 8 gym leaders and the Elite four. They even recycle a lot of the Pokemon between generations. How many different sets of bird or butterfly pokemon do we need?

There is far more familiarity between entries in the Tales series than in any of the other series you listed. Super Mario Galaxy 2 does not play or feel like Super Mario Sunshine, which does not feel like Super Mario World, which does not play or feel like Super Mario Bros 2. Skyward Sword does not play or feel like The Wind Waker which does not play or feel like Majora's Mask which does not play or feel like The Minish Cap. Even Pokemon has made meaningful changes over the years - they've incorporated new systems to manipulate the stats, growth, and evolution of the monsters, they've moved into the online space, they've designed new and expanded on existing systems that affect core gameplay like breeding, etc, etc. Core elements, core influences, core directions of these franchises have been examined and adjusted. This is not so for the Tales series.

Tales sets itself apart from the rest because of how shamelessly it relies on its only source of inspiration: Anime; most notably shounen action/drama and harem comedies - genres that are notoriously averse to innovation themselves. Piling the most common elements of those genres on top of mildly varied gameplay systems time and time again, over multiple generations, makes for a very stale and tired tradition. For the last 10 years, if you've played one Tales game, you've played them all. You already know how the story is going to progress, how the characters are going to "develop", and how the game is going to play. You have no expectation for something different.This matters more here than in something like Halo or COD because we're talking about an RPG series. You come to RPGs for stories and characters. You don't want to experience the same story with the same themes and characters repeatedly.

Unlike Tales, Final Fantasy does make a serious effort to try something new with each new entry, despite remaining an adventure where you recruit party members, fight monsters, and save the world at the end. One game could be a MMO-inspired, real-time, action based medieval drama racked with political strife, the next could be a turn-based cyberpunk romp through an apocalyptic science fiction world, and another could be a modern take on an ROTC/mercenary group trying to stop a sorceress from taking control of the world governments. You're misinterpreting what I mean by "change" if you think I want the Tales series to stop being a JRPG, or if you think I want Tales to adopt something that hasn't been seen anywhere else before. It just needs to try something IT hasn't already done before, and something a new anime series doesn't do every 3 months.

 

[Hcoregamer00]

Which makes sense, since a huge portion of Tales fanbase in Japan is female.

This is news to me, any figures?

To be fair, a large percentage of people who are into Tales games in North America are also female. All of the friends I talk to on Facebook about Tales games are girls.

 

[disappeared]

They need to stop casting ~18-year-olds nearly across the board when it comes to party members. I'm sick of reading dialogue from an 18y.o.'s mouth like they have the world figured out.

I'll kickstart a fucking JRPG whose entire cast is over the age of 40.

 

[Rpgmonkey]

There is far more familiarity between entries in the Tales series than in any of the other series you listed. Super Mario Galaxy 2 does not play or feel like Super Mario Sunshine, which does not feel like Super Mario World, which does not play or feel like Super Mario Bros 2. Skyward Sword does not play or feel like The Wind Waker which does not play or feel like Majora's Mask which does not play or feel like The Minish Cap. Even Pokemon has made meaningful changes over the years - they've incorporated new systems to manipulate the stats, growth, and evolution of the monsters, they've moved into the online space, they've designed new and expanded on existing systems that affect core gameplay like breeding, etc, etc. Core elements, core influences, core directions of these franchises have been examined and adjusted. This is not so for the Tales series.

What?

From a gameplay perspective, Phantasia SNES feels very different from Eternia, which is really different from Rebirth, which is really different from Abyss, which is really different from Destiny PS2, which is really different from Vesperia, which is really different from Graces.

Like many other franchises, core elements remain from game to game which retains a sense of familiarity for any fan, and I'll be the first to say that some things are stagnant and have been for far too long, but the overall game design that goes into them isn't even on that list of things at all. That's the one thing where I can say they really try to put in some effort to bring new things to the table for the series and make one game feel unique from a past or future game when you play them and compare.

Unlike Tales, Final Fantasy does make a serious effort to try something new with each new entry, despite remaining an adventure where you recruit party members, fight monsters, and save the world at the end. One game could be a MMO-inspired, real-time, action based medieval drama racked with political strife, the next could be a turn-based cyberpunk romp through an apocalyptic science fiction world, and another could be a modern take on an ROTC/mercenary group trying to stop a sorceress from taking control of the world governments. You're misinterpreting what I mean by "change" if you think I want the Tales series to stop being a JRPG, or if you think I want Tales to adopt something that hasn't been seen anywhere else before. It just needs to try something IT hasn't already done before, and something a new anime series doesn't do every 3 months.

I will agree that I'd love for Tales to go all out towards a drastically different kind of setting and premise than they usually go for.

 

[Ghost_Protocol]

What?

From a gameplay perspective, Phantasia SNES feels very different from Eternia, which is really different from Rebirth, which is really different from Abyss, which is really different from Destiny PS2, which is really different from Vesperia, which is really different from Graces.

We disagree. The Tales series over the last 10 years (Symphonia, Abyss, Graces, Innocence, and Vesperia) all feel VERY similar to me (Vesperia to a lesser extent), in terms of gameplay, characterization, & story.

 

[Shamdeo]

At the risk of sounding incredibly dismissive: when they do something interesting with Tales, I'll be interested again.