.... Yes I said that. Albeit they are at the low end but they are great and playable games.
Also Legendia's soundtrack is godlike.
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LTTP : Tales of Graces f
- Thread starter Sithlord77
- Start date
.... Yes I said that. Albeit they are at the low end but they are great and playable games.
Also Legendia's soundtrack is godlike.
I don't know how peole can stand Asbel in this game. Liteerally the only character ever in all he nediocre to bad games I have wanted to strangle.
Dude fucking kill Richard and lets end this game already. Once shame on you. Twice, Three times,.... ugh
FormallyFamicom
Member
Yep, loved every minute of it. Story gets shit on constantly, but tbh I guess I was just having too much fun with the battles to even notice. Unlike DotNW, where the gameplay couldn't mask the awful story and characters. Guh.
Dimentionalist
Member
Loved the combat system, aside from the similar playstyles shared between the mage characters. Loved the little nuances with Asbel's playstyle in particular, like restoring HP by sheathing your sword after performing a set amount of B-Artes.
I actually liked the main story quite a bit more than say, Vesperia or Abyss, but there were some really boneheaded decisions that made me just shake my head. Pascal, Malik, and Hubert disappeared into the background too frequently for my liking.
I actually liked the main story quite a bit more than say, Vesperia or Abyss, but there were some really boneheaded decisions that made me just shake my head. Pascal, Malik, and Hubert disappeared into the background too frequently for my liking.
The villain is the other. One of the laziest backstories I've ever seen in a game. There were plenty of opportunities to develop Lambda's character, but they waited until the very game to pull the "oh, poor villain" card despite having multiple opportunities to start dropping more hints earlier. And it's revealed through exposition-spewing invisible walls, no less. I can understand plot twists, but if you're going to have your main character invite an interstellar parasite into his body at the end of the game, you're going to have to drop those bombshells a lot sooner.
redfox088
Banned
I like Luke as much as the next guy but Yuri was imo the most complex and interesting character in the series to date.....sigh I just wish bandai namco would have stuck to cell shaded art like the naruto games
This, I agree.
ErrorMacro
Member
Yeah, this annoyed the hell out of me. Every major story point seemed to be rushed and throw at you from nowhere.
Asbel was plain, he was just boring. Sophie and Pascal on the hand, both of them should have been punched in the face. Sophie was alright in the beginning by the mid to the end game she was so annoying. Pascal was horrible from the start.
Malik and Hubert were both cool though. Cherie was a bitch in the beginning as well but at least she changes for the better by the mid to end of the game.
redfox088
Banned
I could have lived without the post game stuff
The Yo Tornado
Member
Everybody is a Jerk: The Game. It got better by the end and the post-game(I think? I'm not sure what the proper term is for how it works in Graces), but the first half of the game had arguably the most unlikable cast in any game I've ever played. With the exception of Pascal virtually everyone was either bitter as hell or just spiteful. It's actually kind of funny that Graces ended up being the game that got me back into Tales and JRPGs at large since in retrospect it doesn't seem like it would be. Good game, but man the characterization is iffy.
Paracelsus
Member
Most versatile battle system in the series. At casual play level, the other Tales are 'mash buttons and heal', Graces is the only one to encourage the player to master the gameplay before even tackling the post-game content, due to how the enemy weaknesses are structured. It wants you to master cooking, to chain combos.
Paltheos
Member
No Yuri, I see. I've played four Tales games - Symphonia, Abyss, Vesperia, and Xillia. Of those, Vesperia is the best imo, and Yuri the best Tales protag.
redfox088
Banned
He's actually probably the most realistic.....he has motives convictions and habits that are so from the standard...."I must save everything!!! " a la lloyd asbel Jude and just bout every single jrpg MC not designed by atlus
It does have that one redeeming feature, yes.
Hours Left
Member
Legendia > Abyss
That's right.
That's right.
Nope.
Nope nope nope.
Legendia was a huge step back for the series that never should have been allowed to happen.
redfox088
Banned
Never played legendia.....but I could believe it..... Only thing I remember from abyss was the overused and unnecessary vocabulary
no.....NO!
thoseAREmySHOES
Member
I just picked the game back up after putting it down once I finished the childhood arc. I'm midway through "Chapter 3" or so, but the battle system is really messing with me, so much so that I bumped it down to easy to continue to progress. I think I'm going to re-read all of the in-game tutorials again next time I boot it up. Still enjoying it though, but it's going to be hard for it to dethrone Symphonia and Vesperia as my favorite Tales of games.
Omega Kirby
Member
Dawn of the new world had tenebrae
No but seriously it's a low tier tales game but it's still pretty good
Amen.
Sithlord77
Banned
Interesting reading the impressions of people who have played this. The story isn't that bad is it? I'm enjoying it more than Xillia so far because you know wtf is happening and it's not convoluted with all these weird words.
Anyway someone here mentioned you can carry a combo on after dodging. I thought your combo reset? Also I'm still thing to grasp the combat system. Like I can't continue my a artes after doing b artes it seems to always reset them.
The other thing when you use b artes from a artes for the first time he always does this move where he takes out his sword and it damages the enemy. But this throws me off a bit is that part of the combo still?
I a loving this game so far and can't wait to play more after work. I didn't think I'd be saying that to a Tales game especially as it's a last gen game too.
Anyway someone here mentioned you can carry a combo on after dodging. I thought your combo reset? Also I'm still thing to grasp the combat system. Like I can't continue my a artes after doing b artes it seems to always reset them.
The other thing when you use b artes from a artes for the first time he always does this move where he takes out his sword and it damages the enemy. But this throws me off a bit is that part of the combo still?
I a loving this game so far and can't wait to play more after work. I didn't think I'd be saying that to a Tales game especially as it's a last gen game too.
The Praiseworthy
Member
My 2nd favorite tales game after Abyss... and my favorite JRPG from the 7th generation of home consoles.
That battle system, dear god it's pure awesomeness also loved the cast and the story.
That battle system, dear god it's pure awesomeness also loved the cast and the story.
I didn't play Vesperia. I only listed the main characters from the game I've played.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
I played this recently too. I really liked it, nice change to the traditional Tales setup.
However I got really tired of it towards the middle of the last super duper long dungeon. I got pretty close to the end of it, but after several hours in this dungeon I was getting so tired that I was mostly running away, but the monsters kept ramping up in difficulty... yeah so I just stopped playing and Youtube'd the ending.
Other than that dungeon it's probably my favorite Tales game.
However I got really tired of it towards the middle of the last super duper long dungeon. I got pretty close to the end of it, but after several hours in this dungeon I was getting so tired that I was mostly running away, but the monsters kept ramping up in difficulty... yeah so I just stopped playing and Youtube'd the ending.
Other than that dungeon it's probably my favorite Tales game.
Luke the best Tales lead?
Xillia's story worse than Graces'?
Graces has the worst story by far IMO mainly because of Asbel. I don't mind the rest of the characters actually (although sometimes Hubert and Cheria can get annoying) but the future arc is amazingly funny and kinda makes up for the main story's shortcomings tbh.
I platinumed the game but I still want to play it because of the battle system alone.
Xillia's story worse than Graces'?
Graces has the worst story by far IMO mainly because of Asbel. I don't mind the rest of the characters actually (although sometimes Hubert and Cheria can get annoying) but the future arc is amazingly funny and kinda makes up for the main story's shortcomings tbh.
I platinumed the game but I still want to play it because of the battle system alone.
Nocturnowl
Member
Coming to think of it, that's my main positive takeaway from Graces as well.
Fun combat and Pascal, just about enough to fight off the more negative points.
This game holds the honour of being the only video game I've ever played where the characters and overall writing were so bad that it actually outweighed my enjoyment of the gameplay and made me quit. It's a shame, because it actually had incredibly good mechanics, but I just could not deal with the cast. I bought Xillia the day it came out, and I only got around to actually taking it out of the box this past Friday, because that's how long it took my brain to wash the taste of the Graces writing out of its mouth.
I've been meaning to get this game for a while now but always cheap out at the checkout screen, finally decided to order it today. I'm interested in seeing how I'll find the game. I didn't think Xillia was a bad game, if it had better environments instead of hallways and a proper world map then all my complaints would be addressed. I usually have a decent amount of tolerances for bad characters so I'm hoping that I wont be bothered by Graces.
Sithlord77
Banned
Just an update I've now finished the main game. I'm currently in future arc in some garden.
I wouldn't have played the game up to this point if I hadn't enjoyed it. It's been great mostly.
HOWEVER, you guys were right about the story. It's complete garbage. I kinda lost interest in the plot after the whole Lambda nonsense about two thirds through the main game. It just wasn't compelling or interesting. By the end of the game I didn't really know who I was fighting in the last battle or why. The story was that uninteresting I started zoning out in the cutscenes as they were boring and dialog was shit.
Future Arc I'm just skipping all cutscenes now as I have no interest in the plot, I'm only playing for the gameplay.
That being said the battle system oh man it's amazing still. There's so much going on and it's 60fps and fast with all sorts of strategies you can use with the characters. Nice and over the top effects and pretty chaotic.
I've been playing mostly on Evil difficulty and it's provided a decent challenge. I've gotten loads more xp and skills and items as it rewards you more for playing on higher difficulties.
Question though, I'm still going for the platinum in one Playthrough (ive gotten all the 60 sec boss trophies). I've done Inn Requests as I've went along but not bothered with the weapon/armour requests yet...how much more hours do I need to keep playing for the platinum? My party is level 70 with Eleth at just 2300 still. Most of my characters have about 80-90 titles with Asbel reaching 100 titles today.
I just don't want to spend another 30 hours you know? I've already put in about 90 hours. However good it is, I got loads of other games I want to play including Batman AK and a massive backlog. But I'd still like to go for the plat if I'm not far off. I know about piggyback method and it worked on rockagong.
After I'm done with future arc I'll go back to main game and start zhonecage bonus dungeon and do inn requests but how much time is all that? I don't mind dropping to easy to speed everything up but that means I might not get good drops for materials I'd need for inn requests?
I wouldn't have played the game up to this point if I hadn't enjoyed it. It's been great mostly.
HOWEVER, you guys were right about the story. It's complete garbage. I kinda lost interest in the plot after the whole Lambda nonsense about two thirds through the main game. It just wasn't compelling or interesting. By the end of the game I didn't really know who I was fighting in the last battle or why. The story was that uninteresting I started zoning out in the cutscenes as they were boring and dialog was shit.
Future Arc I'm just skipping all cutscenes now as I have no interest in the plot, I'm only playing for the gameplay.
That being said the battle system oh man it's amazing still. There's so much going on and it's 60fps and fast with all sorts of strategies you can use with the characters. Nice and over the top effects and pretty chaotic.
I've been playing mostly on Evil difficulty and it's provided a decent challenge. I've gotten loads more xp and skills and items as it rewards you more for playing on higher difficulties.
Question though, I'm still going for the platinum in one Playthrough (ive gotten all the 60 sec boss trophies). I've done Inn Requests as I've went along but not bothered with the weapon/armour requests yet...how much more hours do I need to keep playing for the platinum? My party is level 70 with Eleth at just 2300 still. Most of my characters have about 80-90 titles with Asbel reaching 100 titles today.
I just don't want to spend another 30 hours you know? I've already put in about 90 hours. However good it is, I got loads of other games I want to play including Batman AK and a massive backlog. But I'd still like to go for the plat if I'm not far off. I know about piggyback method and it worked on rockagong.
After I'm done with future arc I'll go back to main game and start zhonecage bonus dungeon and do inn requests but how much time is all that? I don't mind dropping to easy to speed everything up but that means I might not get good drops for materials I'd need for inn requests?
I wish I had done that. If anything, Future Arc is worse written than the main story. The only real benefit it has is that the characters loosen up a bit and skits get more entertaining. Having Richard around also helps.
Loved the time skip stuff. The combat as OP says is da bess!
BUT LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING whoo boy that writing. JESUS FUCK ME THREE WAYS TILL SUNDAY!
I literally had to stop playing because of how bad it got it the whole "bonds" thing. I used to watch naruto, I can deal with typical jrpg tropes (I even prefer the simplicity of them sometimes), but this shit takes it to a whole NEW LEVEL. It was so bad.
This is one of the only ARPGs I can say I never finished in my life. I traded that shit back in. Maybe one day it will be back on pslus and I will replay it as I need an "inbetween" AJRPG again.
BUT LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING whoo boy that writing. JESUS FUCK ME THREE WAYS TILL SUNDAY!
I literally had to stop playing because of how bad it got it the whole "bonds" thing. I used to watch naruto, I can deal with typical jrpg tropes (I even prefer the simplicity of them sometimes), but this shit takes it to a whole NEW LEVEL. It was so bad.
This is one of the only ARPGs I can say I never finished in my life. I traded that shit back in. Maybe one day it will be back on pslus and I will replay it as I need an "inbetween" AJRPG again.
Why would you do that?
Member
Yeah, as someone who really doesn't care about stories in games, I think the f arc was really boring story wise compared to the main game. I guess it's the nature of it being a short expansion? But I found that the story just moved way too quickly, the characters were Flanderized, and they threw a random, out of nowhere romantic pairing in the mix, too.
As for Xillia, well... It had many disappointing aspects compared to pretty much any other Tales game, but I still like it quite a bit. After playing it, I haven't really been feeling as enthusiastic about the Tales franchise like I have before, but it's still my absolute favorite RPG series, and I would love very much to see the games continue. Just not yearly...
(Also, Pascal is the best!)
As for Xillia, well... It had many disappointing aspects compared to pretty much any other Tales game, but I still like it quite a bit. After playing it, I haven't really been feeling as enthusiastic about the Tales franchise like I have before, but it's still my absolute favorite RPG series, and I would love very much to see the games continue. Just not yearly...
(Also, Pascal is the best!)
Sithlord77
Banned
I think I'm just gonna finish future arc and maybe zhonecage not sure about the plat it's a grind
Dual Blade
Member
I stopped somewhere very close to the end of the main game and never played the Future part.
I felt the game lacked personality. I played it after Vesperia and Abyss and I felt those games had much better writing, voice acting, and character dynamics than Graces f. It seems to me that from Graces f onwards Bamco hired a new localization company and the dub quality went down... although its kinda shocking to look back and see some of the names that worked on this series (Troy Baker was Yuri in Vesperia!).
I felt the game lacked personality. I played it after Vesperia and Abyss and I felt those games had much better writing, voice acting, and character dynamics than Graces f. It seems to me that from Graces f onwards Bamco hired a new localization company and the dub quality went down... although its kinda shocking to look back and see some of the names that worked on this series (Troy Baker was Yuri in Vesperia!).
Luke the best Tales lead?
Luke is the only Tales MC that i remember that it's not the classic do-gooder; even Yuri suffers of the same. Luke is an ass, mean-spirited jerk. But his development through the game is exactly what Abyss is about.
For that, it's one of my favorites Tales lead characters.
Pascal is the reason to even play Graces (aside, obviously, of the combat)
Glad you came around. I'm not sure how to feel if you said Xillia 2's story is worse than Graces f.
You played on Evil difficulty. I can't imagine how bullshit the Kurt fight was on that difficulty.
Agreed. I understand why people don't like Luke, but that was the whole point of his character before he cuts his hair. It's one of the only Tales leads that has active character development throughout the whole game. I feel that people who say that Luke was a terrible character most likely didn't finish the game.
vainglorious
Member
Tales of the Abyss is one of my favorite games. I played this game and haven't touched the series since. I got as far as the final dungeon and I just stopped playing, lost all incentive. The combat never got its claws in me like it seems to have with others here, it never really clicked for me, I just really fucking hated everything being tied to arte trees. I like the look of Xillia 2 but I'm not sure if playing through Xillia 1 to play 2 would be worth my time.
I couldn't stand her. She's one of those tropey, anime perky girls that are a dime a dozen. But somehow, is even more annoying here.
Rapscallion
Member
This game, more so than any other Tales game I've played, felt like mindless errands over and over.
The combat system was satisfying, but the general storyline didn't have enough to push the game along naturally. I was actually invested most of the game, but the overall plot moves at a snails pace because you're just being told to go different places over and over.
The combat system was satisfying, but the general storyline didn't have enough to push the game along naturally. I was actually invested most of the game, but the overall plot moves at a snails pace because you're just being told to go different places over and over.
Eudaemonium
Member
The gameplay in ToGf is seriously one of the most engaging I've encountered in an RPG. It was simply a delight to play, both in terms of actual battles and skill/title progression. I always felt like I was working towards something.
I think the story gets a lot of flack, but really isn't as terrible as people claim. It's very friendship-heavy and the characters are sometimes a bit dense, but I felt like it had a lot of heart. I played it at a time when I was majorly burnt out on grim and grimy games and at a fairly low-point in my life, though, and it was just the kind of breath of fresh air I needed, so I'm a little biased. There was something about the earnestness of the characters that I just found likeable, even with Asbel. They're all cliched as all hell, however, so don't expect anything radical in that department.
I thought Xillia had a pretty decent story, though. Mainly because of Gaius and Raitoning Neuuwa, though.
I think the story gets a lot of flack, but really isn't as terrible as people claim. It's very friendship-heavy and the characters are sometimes a bit dense, but I felt like it had a lot of heart. I played it at a time when I was majorly burnt out on grim and grimy games and at a fairly low-point in my life, though, and it was just the kind of breath of fresh air I needed, so I'm a little biased. There was something about the earnestness of the characters that I just found likeable, even with Asbel. They're all cliched as all hell, however, so don't expect anything radical in that department.
I thought Xillia had a pretty decent story, though. Mainly because of Gaius and Raitoning Neuuwa, though.