Tales of Vesperia is the first entry into the Tales series of RPG games that's come out for XBox 360. But, does it measure up to the competition? Read on to find out more.
You could say that what makes an RPG truly riveting is the story. But you can't have story without great characters and settings. Tales of Vesperia, for the Xbox 360, seems to have it all. But how does this game measure up overall?
| The Graphics | Rating  |
If you're expecting highly realistic and detailed graphics, you'll be disappointed. Instead, Tales of Vesperia takes a cleaner and simpler approach. It uses bright colors and an almost cartoony look for the game art. There is still a wide improvement compared to previous games in the Tales series, which has spanned several older generation systems.
While not too complex, the graphics do a very good job of adding ambiance to the story. Take the town of Halure for example. The main aspect of Halure is a large tree that takes up most of your view. Pink petals cascade to the ground, adding a pink hue to everything in sight. You can tell that the game designers really thought this through.
| The Characters | Rating  |
The biggest highlight of Tales of Vesperia for me was the characters. Yuri and Estelle make up the main characters, although there are many more. The most interesting to me was Raven. Things aren't what they seem with this guy. Not only do the characters look good and have great traits, they also have amazing voice acting. The voices seem to match the personalities very well, and it makes the game feel all the more real.
| The Story | Rating |
If you've ever played a Tales game, you'll know how complicated the story can get. The plot changes and morphs as you go through the story.
The only downside to the story is the frequent feeling that you're at the end. They talk about how this is the final battle, so you prepare and fight like it's the end. When you're done, you find out there's more game to go. It wasn't the end at all. While this can be a good thing in theory, there was a side effect. I didn't see the end coming. I thought they were bluffing again. I fought a battle, and then the end credits rolled. Because of this, the ending felt very abrupt.
| The Battles | Rating |
Tales games have always ruled the pack based on their battle system, and Tales of Vesperia is no exception. Unlike other classic console RPGs, you don't use a bunch of menu commands to fight your battles. When you enter a battle, you use a combination of buttons and the directional pad to unleash a barrage of melee and magic attacks. It puts you right in the action.
Fights in this game never seemed too hard. I never felt the need to 'level up' Contrast to that, I never felt like it was too easy either. There's even a battle arena, and you can compare your fastest time to other players all over the world.
| Replayablity | Rating |
Probably the best thing about Tales of Vesperia is the replayability. Before I was even finished with the game, I already planned on playing it again. There's so much you can do, and so many sidequests to fulfill. The achievements list is also very long and detailed. After being pretty thorough, I didn't even gain half of the available achievements in my first playthrough.
| The Verdict | Rating |
Because of the simple graphics and classic RPG gameplay, Tales of Vesperia isn't for everyone. Personally, I like game's that use a formula, and break it along the way. Not to mention that the plot, settings and characters were all very intriguing and fun.
Tales of Vesperia Guide
Learn everything you want to know about Tales of Vesperia for XBox 360. Learn about the characters and other things that make this role playing game special, including a review.