Let's settle this shit

Is Tales of the Abyss seriously skippable if you're new to the series? I see 75% of you retards saying it is, then a strong minority swears it's one of the best Tales games, with one of the best end boss fights in any game. That's pretty compelling stuff.

Do I have this right?
>absolutely hate or love the story and characters
>combat is solid but not best in series, Free Run was a decent attempt but ultimately falls flat

There's a copy at my Disc Replay for like $15.

There doesn't seem to exist a consensus on Tales in general.

I have been meaning to get into the series. Here is what I absolutely plan to play:
Symphonia 1 and 2
Graces F
Xillia 1 and 2

Probably in that order. I don't have a 360, so no Vesperia for me, the most acclaimed one. Or should I just wait for Berseria to blow my nuts off? Apparently 2ch has been saying it's the best in years.


I was this close to getting Star Ocean: The Last Hope yesterday - before I skimmed some old Cred Forums threads saying not to. Does this hold up?

Tales of thread

Other urls found in this thread:

youtube.com/watch?v=MMgkiy0h3NU
youtube.com/watch?v=2_zM6gbJDBA
twitter.com/NSFWRedditVideo

don't play symphonia 2 and play tales of the abyss instead.
Symphonia 2 is a big disappointment

>Graces
>Rushedillia
>Symphonia 2
kek

All the ones you plan to play are worse than Abyss except maybe Xillia 2, so just get it.

This. Only the first Symphonia exists. Ignore that 2 ever was even made.

Do you not have a swap disc for your PS2?

Abyss is one of the middle of the road games imo.

Not great but certainly not as bad as Symphonia 2 or Zestiria.

Abyss is what Symphonia wanted to be. You're dumb to skip it

You should just play all of them, no real point skipping anything.

Abyss is the one game in the series that goes beyond what the other titles try to do, it's characters and story are tied together better and the scope of it's story is grander. It almost belongs in another series and it's very very good.

Best Tales game you can play.

If you're playing the PS2 one, get the undub for voiced skits.

There is no official tier list for Tales games, because theyre all good in their own right. Most Tales fans will argue which games are better, but most will agree pretty much all of them are great games.

Personally i'd say Eternia, Vesperia and Symphonia are must plays, but other anons will say otherwise.

>I see 75% of you retards saying it is
5 ips in tales thread doesnt eqauate to 75%.
Old Cred Forums loved abyss what the fuck happened these past few years?

even if you don't love it as much as the fanboys you're basically guaranteed to like it more than symphonia 2

just substitute in abyss and proceed with the original plan. you won't know if you'll like it until you try it, and it's definitely one worth trying

gwt that game its good
emotional faggots complain that all the characters are asshole but no really fucking cares
its still and entertaining game regardless

dont listen to those hipster meme faggots

abyss, symphonia and vesperia are the best tales

abyss is literally in the top 3 right next to symphonia 1 and vesperia.

the only downsides to the game are the battle loadtimes on the worldmap, and lategame the story sends you to locations back and forth too often.

Contrarianfag here, I actually liked Abyss more than Vesperia.

The best games in the series are Vesperia, Hearts R, and Abyss.

At least from what I've played. Graces f is shitty the first time around, and it suddenly becomes the best game in the series when you play it again in NG+.

Can anyone tell me the appeal in this series? I played Graces F, and I was like "This shit is awful."

Good game but the best but good

if you dont have a modded ps2, 3ds, or a gaming PC by now you're missing out.

tales of the abyss is good but not great. vesperia and graces f have better combat systems but abyss has better character development.

Gameplay and skits

Abyss was the first to introduce the newer battle system and Luke is one of the more unique MC's.
It's a great game, If you plan on getting into the Tales series you should definitely play it.

On the contrary, I'd say it's a good little entry for the series

Only one i tried was vesperia. Seemed like thr story and characters were alright but didnt care for the combat & gameplay


Do they all play the same?

you never play tales games for the plot or characters, you play it for the combat.

youtube.com/watch?v=MMgkiy0h3NU

if you've got a CFW ps3 you can play jap Vesperia

but seriously, please skip symphonia 2. it's easily the worst game in the entire series

to be fair graces has a fucking terrible, stupid-ass story
even zestiria was better than graces

try going back to the more simplified gameplay of the first symphonia or the abyss

if you still can't get into it, the series just isn't for you

The FoF circle system in Abyss was a great mechanic, it's a shame that later games didn't take advantage of it.

Also, the CC system is objectively the best combat resource in the series. TP is outdated and AC is dumb as hell.

Holy kek. Guess I'll skip those, that's nice because it's hundreds of hours of game time I can put into actually good games.

Alright. Even Symphonia?

Kek thanks for the warning.

I emulate on PS3 because I have an early model.

>what the fuck happened
Seriously. It's in the fucking rec for fuck sakes. Before RRRRREDDIT took it.

Glad to see Abyss being affirmed for its apparent excellence.

>graces f NG+
Worth it to slog through the normal mode to get to NG+ for this?

I just realized Vesperia was released for PS3 in Nipland. I don't have a modded PS3 though.

>combat
That's why I want to play them. As well as for that added Japanese charm.

So far I'm definitely going to play:
>Symphonia
>Abyss

Possibly
>Xillia 1/2
>Graces f
>Hearts

I might just wait for Berseria for modern Tales, especially if it's better than Xillia or Graces f.

I have a DS emulator so I can use that for Hearts.


Further, are any of these as good as or better than Rogue Galaxy? That's kind of what piqued my curiosity for this series. If they're all inferior to Rogue Galaxy, I might not touch any of them.

Also, unrelated, is Dark Cloud worth playing if you have Dark Cloud 2? To my understand 2 was an upgrade in every way and I have limited free time with an xboxhueg backlog the way it is, like everyone else on Cred Forums. But it's Level 5 and a pretty standout JRPG for the PS2, so...decisions.

I forgot Eternia.

Symphonia, Abyss, Eternia, and Berseria depending if it as good as the nips say it is.

Seems like a healthy amount of Tales.

Every fucking Tales game has a rabid fanbase defending its status as the best in the series and an equal and opposite reaction of hate. There is no "definitive" Tales game, you just have to try them out and see which one you like best. Abyss is ten times better than Graces to me.

If you have a Vita get Innocence R and Hearts R

>I who dwell in the abounding light of heaven
This will forever be funny

I enjoyed abyss's plot and characters more than graces f, but god damn graces f is the most fun tales game combat wise. there's lots of mechanics involved such as element weakness, dodging to regain CC, eleth burst/break, managing minimum and maximum CC amounts to execute A arte or B arte combos, there was a lot of thought put into the battle system.

Symphonia and Abyss are to this day the best ones in the series.

Never played the PS3 ones because that feel when no 7th gen console.

don't be an idiot. Play every game and form your own opinion. Only advice I would give is to play Symphonia first

Abyss is probably the best tales,but some people do hate it. it's a love or hate game,but i think it's amazing personally.
Either way you're a retard for trusting Cred Forums so wholeheartedly

This game is shit and this series is shit, wholy shit fucking awful games with awful combat.

Kek this is spot on and has been my experience in every Tales thread ever, even in the archives.

You guys are all crazy.

symphonia 2 sucks major ass, replace it with vesperia it is pretty good.

>trusting Cred Forums

Of course. Messed up before I even began.

>Alright. Even Symphonia?
Symphonia is also pretty good but I agree with the other user who said Abyss is what Symphonia wanted to be. Symphonia can feel a little bland and safe at times while Abyss is much more ambitious and daring, for better or worse.

not OP here, will I like Abyss if I thought Symphonia was just okay?

I tried playing Tales of Symphonia (undub version) on my hacked Wii last week and I gave up after the first dungeon because I wasn't having fun

Should I give it a second shot? Or should I play Abyss instead? I can play that on my hacked 3DS

OP here

I have a gamecube emulator (Dolphin).

Okay to play Symphonia on this? I don't think the game is undubbed, or I have no I idea of knowing right now

...

Yeah. you'll just have to play them all and form your own opinion,as for what i recommend:
abyss and graces f are the best(abyss for everything except combat,graces f for combat,but everything else is not as good as abyss)
vesperia is the most solid overall
xillia 1 and 2 are both terrible(flat dungeon design,terribly written plots,uninteresting cast) in my experience but a lot of people seem to like xillia 2 so what do i know.
Symphonia is also very good but hasn't aged all that well
Zestiria is shite and that's the only thing Cred Forums tales threads can unanimously agree on

Just get a PS3 and play Graces F. If you got a modded PS3 (which is dirt cheap these days), you can play the definitive version of Vesperia in English.

They're not particularly different gameplay-wise, but I think Abyss' setup is a lot more interesting. Symphonia starts pretty slowly. It gets good though, maybe you should give it another chance, but I wouldn't force myself if I seriously wasn't having fun.

Alright. I think my game plan is:

Symphonia, Abyss, Graces f, Berseria
Xillia 1 and 2 if I'm really feeling it and love the games.

There's a PS3 Symphonia Chronicles. Worth it to get it, or should I just emulate it on Dolphin?

I still don't get the vesperia one

ALRIIIIGHT. listen up OP.

You want to get into tales? Heres how.

Question A. What tales of did you start with? Believ it or not, Nostalgia plays a severe role in bias with Tales fans. Ie: If you start with Vesperia, you never want to go backwards to more "Archaic" controls like symphonia, Or, You start with Symphonia, and you can't stand additions and changes in Graces/xillia etc.

I started with Phantasia, and to this day it remains my favorite! So lets get started!

>>>Entry level: If you want a modern, but fun experience:
Symphonia, Abyss, Hearts, Vesperia

These are the easiest Tales games to recommend to anyone new to the series, gives you a good taste of what you're in for, and you have the ability to go backwards if you choose.

>>>Medium Level: For more experienced players who want combat as a priority
Graces, Xillia, Zesteria, Innocence

Some of these are J only but most have patches, and are great if you've come to enjoy the series, they're hard to recommend as starting points because people can get jaded and lose interest if it doesn't suit them.

>>>Advanced: The classics: Great for those willing to prioritize strategy over flashy combat, IMO the best games in the series.
Destiny R, Phantasia, Eternia, Rebirth

The classics are always fun. 2D tales gives a more limited view, but more strategy, as you lose things that werent implemented yet, such as Free roam, and limited arte capacity, And are easily more of a challenge then 3D tales.

>>>Extra
Nakiri dungeon, Legendia, RM and Summoner lineage

Mostly spinoffs, Legendia is a solid title in the tales series, but not well favored due to limited combat, and stacked against symphonia and abyss, in which it released between. Still an amazing game and easily the best OST, so give it a try!

Of the list id skip xillia 1.
Graces have a fun battle system and a generic friendship story being its theme and all.
Hearts is good provided you play the ds ver.
Xillia 2 has the funnest mc in a long time due to weapon switching system.
Xillia 1 is my least favorite tales game and a slog since the female mc is a fucking mary sue plot device that keeps the game going because muh duty, while i dont remember the forgettable male mc besides being a thirsty medical student. Its battle system is fun but youll be revisiting all those same towns in 2 so skip 1.

I have a PS3, son.

>modded PS3 for one game
Fuck that, unless Yakuza Kenzan and Ishin never come to the states. Now those are games I'd buy a modded PS3 for.

OP here, so I can do this: what are other must-play PS3 imports? There doesn't seem to be any other than Vesperia and Yakuza Kenzan and Ishin.

>There's a PS3 Symphonia Chronicles. Worth it to get it, or should I just emulate it on Dolphin?
Emulate on Dolphin because Symphonia 1 on PS3 cut the frame rate from 60 to 30 for some god-forsaken reason.

>played symphonia
>dumb ass middle school shit
>side scrolling battle system
>dropped in 20 mins

>play xillia
>university shit
>dumb ass MC fucks his whole future up by getting involved in shit he could have avoided
>button mashing battle system
>dropped 30 mins in

why tales so shit?

You'll probably want to emulate symphonia unless you really don't give a shit about fps,most of the extra shit in chronicles is tedious or for completionists,so it's about what you prioritize.

No it has the best final boss don't skip it.

The Adephagos that floats in the sky

>dumb ass middle school shit
>side scrolling battle system

So you didn't play it. Got it.

You don't need a modded PS3 to play imports, but you would need one to play the Vesperia fan translation. To answer your question, Gundam EXVS Full Boost

see

Abyss was pretty good though... not only it takes the best aspects of the series but it also beautifully merges in a single game stuff that other games got right.

While that makes it a little predictable at times it certainly doesn't takes away any merit out of it.

The moral ambiguity of all characters is really a nice and by the end one grows to care for allies and enemies alike. There are not many games where this happens.

This is good info

Who the fuck owns that much shit of legendia of all games? Its a shit game.

PS3 ToS is a pretty mediocre port, only thing it has over the GCN version are skits that go undubbed if you play with English voices and support for Japanese voices.

What is love?

Nigga the game literally starts off with tiny ass kids in school and then when i fight i can only move forward and backwards like no free roam or anything in battle.

Luke is a replica of Asch.
Master Van betrays you and tricks Luke into killing hundreds of people.
Guy Cecil only pretends to be your friend because you remind him of Asch, he actually hates your guts and wants your dad dead for killing his family.
Anise sells you out to the God Generals.
Jade is depressed and suicidal.
Natalia is a fucking idiot.
Tear is tsundere for Luke.
Asch dies but then comes back to life and fuses with Luke.
None of the worlds problems were fixed at the end, millions of people died due to war and replicas being destroyed.
The game's plot would have never happened if people were Athiest.

>No free roam

Because it wasn't invented yet. 2004. Don't harp a game for not having something that didnt exist.

Also you literally played 20 minutes if you think this. School is a starting point for literally one dungeon. you never return to the village until 90+ more hours.

Spoilers are bannable offenses guy.

>Jade is depressed and suicidal
>Suicidal

Homicidal.

Why do the tales games love showing off the belly of their male MCs?

Opinions on Hearts R? I just beat it last night.

Probably the least worst cast from a tales game I've played in a while but I don't feel very satisfied. The dungeons were a bore and all the late game bosses were easy as shit. Granted I didn't start the EX dungeon but could it even make much of a difference?

Its terrible compared to Hearts.

R literally killed the combat system that Hearts invented for itself, and replaced it with a mediocre version of vesperias combat with none of the bells and whistles.

Its a shame because hearts is a damn awesome game too. on par with Destiny R

>We have fujoshi audience

The entire Tales series is skippable.

Ex dungeon, barring the mirror battles are even easier.
The ex boss was the first time ive gotten off so many just guards or whatever its called so easily

I think Tales of the Abyss is god-tier and one of the better Tales Of games.

I beat it about four times before getting completely bored of it, and I also 100% it as well. I pretty much got ever outfit, did all the side missions, maxed out all the characters, etc.

Fuck people who say it's shit, I've played all the Tales Of games so far and they were not nearly as fun as Tales of the Abyss, Tales of Graces and Tales of Vesteria are probably close seconds but that's about it.

As a long time Tales fan, I'm actually enjoying Trails of Cold steel right now.

It's got all the same design principles as Tales of, just with a different combat system. Haven't enjoyed an RPG since.

>Absolutely plan to play
>Graces F

God no. Graces F is dogshit. The combat is horribly on-rails. I really have no idea how people can say the combat is so good. Here's what you should play.

>Phantasia
>Destiny
>Eternia
>Symphony 1
>Abyss
>Xillia 1

I'd say Vesperia, but you don't have a 360. I thought that Symphonia 2 and Xillia 2 were disappointing. Symphonia 2 turns your former party members into glorified cameos and a shitty monster mechanic and Xillia 2 is weighed down by the debt payment system.

>I heard you were starting to have fun in Xillia 2. Time to pay up on your debt, goy.

It's a good thing I beat the game four times in a row like years ago, but seriously people like you should be banned for being faggots.

Spoilers are really annoying, I know the game has been out for like a decade but it doesn't mean everyone has played it.

To be fair, Xillia 2s replayability is great since you can pay off the whole debt at the begining.

>Because it wasn't invented yet. 2004. Don't harp a game for not having something that didnt exist.

>don't judge a game with current standards

Even Ys games had this shit much much longer ago.

Look bruh you are now backpedelling for saying what i said basically never happened or is in the game so why should i believe a guy who try bullshit me?

OP I would really recommend you at least play

Tales of the Abyss
Tales of Symphonia
Tales of Graces F
Tales of Xillia
Tales of Xillia 2
Tales of Vesperia

Honestly Abyss and Xillia were super addictive, I also really enjoyed Tales of Vesperia and Tales of Graces is okay but it's not as good as the others I recommended.

Symphonia is my most played game period clocking in at 43 Playthroughs since 2004.

That being said, It's not even my favorite Tales of game. I'd easily recommend it though. Its the best entry because you can choose to go either way from it.

Yeah, except you have to play through the whole game once to reach that point. I go a long time without playing Xillia 2, then I decide, "Hey, I should play more of this." I start having fun and I remember why I like it, then I have to make a debt payment instead of advancing the story then I just say fuck it and put it back on the shelf.

>2 is weighed down by the debt payment system.

You literally rack up tons of gald in the game where this doesn't even become a problem and to the point i'm glad i can get rid of the useless shit

What's so bad about Symphonia 2? I got Chronicles in the PSN sale yesterday but I haven't started it yet.

>Xillia 2 is weighed down by the debt payment system
How does it feel being bad at games?
Killing those elute monsters give tons of fucking gald. I had too much fucking money for 99% of the game

My most played Tales game has to be Vesperia, I probably put 100+ hours into the PS3 version. The 2nd closest is Xillia.

I would say to give the PSX version of Phantasia a look too, its ported multiple times for a reason, solid tales game on all fronts. Also get Hearts R over base hearts, base hearts is pretty dissappointing

>defending a shit mechanic

Baba please go.

sure if you like 2d tales gameplay

I really like this cover because of this
no homo tho

Must play:
-------------
Phantasia
Destiny R
Eternia
Symphonia
Abyss
Vesperia

Should play:
-------------
Rebirth
Hearts
Innocence
Xillia/Xillia 2

Consider playing:
-------------
Legendia
Nakiri Dungeon
Graces

Avoid:
-------------
Symphonia 2
Zesteria

BURN IN THE FIRES OF HELL
-------------
Tempest

>Its a shame because hearts is a damn awesome game too

Literally the 2nd shittiest tales cast and plot with a non memorable battle system or OST

>Symphonia
>slow paced plot with boring non fun combat
>must play

He isn't suicidal in the sense he wants to kill himself, but in the final fight he throws away his glasses, and that one sidequest shows that if they don't go back on eventually, he'll explode and take out a city block
If you lose the final fight, he is still taking Van down with him

I gotta agree, people only look up to Symphonia for the nostalgia. It has some of the most boring gameplay and party members in the entire series.

2D tales is better. Sorry but 3D combat might look nice, but systematically it makes the game piss easy. You never have to guard when you can just run circles around them and auto revive.

The series used to be fun, now its mostly fanservice bait because japan hates actual combat.

for the love of god play the gamecube version of symphonia, the ps3 version sucks ass. it's locked at 30fps and has worse graphics, they got rid of the shadows and cel shading effect.

I hold no bias. Its a great entry point for people looking to play the series. If they choose to move on from it thats fine, but It's still a must play.

its iffy user, you can adjust to the 30 fps, but you cant get the increased difficulty of PS2's version along with the extra content. Either way symphonia's worth playing

>finish a major 'chapter', go and do all the sidequests
>10/10 love it
>finish a major chapter, game expects you do go do all the sidequests to progress
>0/10 fuck baba
The debt system is barely an impediment and if it ever actually stopped you, you should feel bad

if you must play symphonia, play the PC version with TSfix. it has the PS2 exclusive content but the framerate and resolution isn't locked.

Everything good about tales of the abyss is taken over to tales of vesperia and you don't have to deal with terrible story, terrible characters and terrible setting

here
I own both versions, and while I do prefer the GC version, I don't discredit the PS3 version because it has all the PS2 extras like Yggdrasill laser, A better Abyssion fight, extra sidequests and so on.

I do find it awkward as hell about the FPS cut, and its not even combat that bothers me, its how abrupt Lloyds walk cycle is instead of being all floaty. It unerves me.,

>Consider
>Legendia

You should consider necking yourself.

Legendia isnt for everyone user. I personally like every game on that list barring Tempest. But I know most people aren't patient enough to appreciate it.

Doesnt that fuck with the game itself or did they make it so the FR increase doesnt fuck up the game now?

Playing Symphonia as my first Tales of (in the forest dungeon on Tethe'alla) and honestly, I'm not really feeling it. Combat basically consists of basic combo -> Tiger Blade with only boss fights ever needing a bit of thought and the story is sort of interesting but the characters are a bit bland plus there's a lot of unnecessary padding. It's not bad enough that I want to drop it or anything but it's boring enough that I can only play 30 minutes or so a day before wanting to put it down.

Is Tales of just not for me?

>I know most people aren't patient enough to appreciate it

Since when does being patient mean I like to eat shit?

>Terrible story
>compared to Vesperia
Vesp couldn't even manage a three act story, don't start that shit

>Story of a spoiled noble shit who gets a healthy does of wake the fuck up, turns his life around and becomes a decent human being and a hero to his friends
>Bad story

What the fuck do you want then? Abyss has more Character dev then vesperia, Vesperias good sure, but it only gets brownie points by everyone for having Yuri instead of Optomist McGee.

I don't see the game being a good entry point in todays time, maybe years ago but boy i don't even want to replay it let alone make it someones first tales game now

So im getting into Tales of, myeslf now.
just beat xillia and playng xillia 2 now, enjoying the gameplay so far. but i see people praising it a lot, personaly i find it alot clunkier compared to other action games like ninja gaiden and dmc3. is it just a git gud problem or is it actually so?

>shitting on another game's story while praising Vesperia

So how about that plot arc where Yuri went full vigilante and it was completely forgotten when the third act started?

Like others have said, Symphonia isn't anything special. It's just the one most people have played. People shit on Zestiria, but even Zestiria had a better combat system than Symphonia.

Berseria is better than all listed games thus far. Please kill yourselves EOPs

Its shitty battle system is just the beginning of zestiria problems

yeah, yeah, they cut your waifu. I've heard it enough already to know where you are going with this

Why must tales of fans always fight for superiority?

I like every entry and think it has something unique to offer, and I hate not being able to talk about them without some joker always shooting down another game just because of their own ego complex.

I legitimately believe, even with all of its problems, Zestiria is a better game than Symphonia overall.

Nihilistic is likely the term you are looking for friend

Which Tales of would you recommend I try after I beat Symphonia? I'm mainly looking for a combat system that feels satisfying and has some level of strategy involved, I can put up with a dumb story if I have to.

I can't believe how upset people were about that.

I stayed in the dark about Zesteria on purpose since launch since I didnt want spoilers, and when it came ouit and greatly enjoyed the adventure, came to /tog/ to discuss it and it was FILLED with "0/10 NO WAIFU" "ITS SHIT, WHERE MUH ALISA" "WHY MIKLEO BOY" etc.

Can't believe people prioritize that shit in games these days, and its not just tales, it seems like every JRPg since 2011 has this treatment.

its sickening.

Out of the games you listed the only ones I'd recommend are the first Symphonia and Abyss.

I hear some ok things about Xillia and graces, but I haven't really heard anyone say they're 10/10. If you're worried about story or something, most of them aren't related to each other. Symphonia is a prequel to Phantasia, and if you want to play the original the PSX version is pretty good.

Tales of Eternia is also good if you like the 2d ones.

Vesperia, but be warned. once you play it, your opinions on other tales games will be mostly negative.

Nothing tops vesperia, its the perfect blend of everything. And I say this as a symphonia fag.

It almost sets the bar TOO high.

They tacked in really annoying monster raising game. And while lots of old cast appears and even joins party for a moment, they don't gain EXP. Only the two new characters and monsters you tame do.
Plot is also pretty fucking shit.

I don't try
No one play my favorite game in the series anyway

I just want Vesperia on Steam ;_;

None of the tales games have a real "strategy" to them honestly user, specially once they made the move to 3D, probably the closest would be graces as you cant just spam to win in that game like the others. But that story is absolutely awful, so bear with it.

Vespy is also an option, though id put graces higher in combat vespy is better in every other category, if you couldget the Ps2 version, but tht requires knowing nip or hacking your PS3

truth

every other tales game is garbage

It especially gets me because Alisha is absolutely hands down worst girl
She is the same naiive action-princess that you get from the anime drive through window, except her role as "the one who doesn't understand" is already filled by Sorey.

I'm really hoping a PS4 aniversary edition comes out in 2018.

I literally own a 360 for vesperia and nothing else. And I just want to chuck that stupid whirring microsoft box out the window and be done with it. But if I do, It means no Vesperia.

Posting best girl in best DLC outfit.

>Is Tales of the Abyss seriously skippable if you're new to the series?
Personally, it's my favourite in the entire series. So much so that after playing this much time on the ps2 version I picked up the 3DS version and poured 80 hours into that (so far).

The story, the characters, the pacing, the battles, everything about it is really well thought out.

If I have to name a flaw, it's that there's a metric SHITLOAD of easily missable quests and things with stupid cut-off points.

>Don't bother
>Destiny
>Eternia
>Rebirth
>Hearts

What absolute shit taste.

...

Tales of the Abyss is actually one of the best Tales. Some people hate the characters because only two of them are actually friends with the MC and the rest only have a working relationship with him.

>calling someone naive and not knowing
>not knowing why people were so pissed at the blatantly rewritten story
The fucking irony of zestiria defenders

This kind of shit right here is exactly what I'm talking about.

...

>I literally own a 360 for vesperia and nothing else
Same here, I haven't played it for alittle while now but it's honestly up there as one of my favorite games.

I think even in Japan it was hugely received so a remake at some point should be immanent.

does 3DS Abyss offer anything new over PS2 abyss
i already have an Abyss PS2 copy and i'd rather just rip that and emulate it with fancy settings

anime Alisha is infinitely more bearable

Just so you know pal I enjoy all tales games, no bias here.

>"WHY MIKLEO BOY"
his and sorey's friendship was one of the best things about zestiria

Calling -a character- unknowing. If (yes that is an if) they rewrote the story, it was early on and because the heroine didn't contribute anything to the story, because she has absolutely 0 going for her outside of long socks and spats
I bet you think that Rose not having malevolence is a plot hole

I might be the only people that didn't like her

...

Would you recommend PS2 or 3DS? I'm leaning towards 3DS because I like portability but if there's a DQ8 level visual downgrade or something I'd prefer PS2.

is it so-RAY, SO-ray, SOAR-ee, or soar-EE

Don't worry user I completely respect your opinion.

I stopped watching the anime after three episodes, what has happened since then? Someone told me that they haven't even gotten to Dezel and the first cour has already ended, which seems glacially paced and impossible to finish in a 25 episode show

>does 3DS Abyss offer anything new over PS2 abyss
It makes a few of the sidequests more lenient (blacksmith can be done at any point in time, and you can get Guy's Jewel of Gardios sword before ever stepping foot in Eldrant, but those are the only quest differences I noticed. Rumours are there are more).
The loading times are way better.
The graphics aren't as good, but since it's a ps2 title, it looks pretty impressive on the 3DS. I'd say give it a shot if you don't have a ps2 or want to fiddle with an emulator like me.

Rita is perfect!

SOAR-RAY

So-Ree-ay

It very much is a case of "git gud". I don't mean that in a condescending way. I mean that you can do some crazy shit with a lot of practice. Vesperia's Judith and Xillia 2's Ludger come to mind whenever people say this.

...

I can say that she looks good in the KOS-MOS costume DLC
Also rita is a fucking cunt
I hate her

>I literally own a 360 for vesperia and nothing else.
I did too. Then I bought Lost Odyssey, Infinite Undiscovery, and Prototype. I wound up selling my xbox360 but I really miss Losy Odyssey and Vesperia.

I find it funny how even the beta ass 360 version of Vesperia is still better than a majority of Tales games. Even without the extra content the PS3 version has, it's still a fucking fantastic game.

There's not much in terms of visual downgrade. There's some subtle things (trees in baticul don't sway in the 3ds version) but if you want faster load times, go for 3DS.

Simphonia, abyss and Vesperia are the best ones for me user so I recommend those

More webms. These aren't really the craziest things you can do, but there are numerous combo videos on youtube you can find for like every character in every game. You may want to check them out after you beat an individual game to see what you can accomplish.

I recommend emulating the Japanese version with English text instead. Unless you don't care about voiced skits, then it doesn't matter.

Definitely one of the better costumes she gets, but I bought a good bunch so it doesn't matter.

Someone should really make more webms, there's so much more content out there.

Play Grace's if you wanna get into the series, it seems that it's going in that direction, with shit stories, shit characters, shit art, and ok combat.

Which version do you have, Cred Forums?

I should buy some DLC in Vesperia to make my 2nd playthrough more fun

Both, but the PS2 disc is too scratched to use anymore. Doesn't matter, PCSX2 does a passable job (only crashed on the credits) and I was able to get Luke's long hair back with a pnatch code. I never realized before that his body language changes after the haircut, but it really does.

Abyss is a good/great starting point, since Symphonia might feel outdated.

Story is the typical recycled Tales story, the characters are quite bad (inb4 "they're supposed to be assholes, muh Jade). It's a better entry point than Symphonia, and the FoF system was cool, but that's about it. Gameplay would have been better had the charactets had more combo options.

>Symphonia 1 and 2
Ok, sure.
>Graces
The most overrated and by far one of the worst Tales games, this game was the catalyst of the bad games that ensued. Shit story, shit (all but two) characters, and very defensive gameplay that makes kids scream because they have never comboed before, and they think it's the real CC system.

>Xillia 1
Skip.
>Xillia 2
Play it, it is entertaining.

>no Vesperia
You fucked up. Buy a 360 Arcade or better yet a Jap PS3, it is by far the best 3D Tales game yet with the best cast and excellent gameplay. Literally everyone can combo, and not just when they overlimit.

Anyone that is not a pleb can tell you that 2D Tales games are the best. But yourself a Jap PS2 and get Eternia, Destiny 2, Rebirth, and Tales of Destiny DC, the series' best. That is what the CC system is all about

It definitely changes the experience in some scenes. But definitely recommend getting Repede's Innocence cameo costume.

That one is in my list especially because Innocence R is my favorite game in the series
Does the costume give me the Innocence battle theme?
I love break through with the sword
youtube.com/watch?v=2_zM6gbJDBA

I just finished 2 Trails games this month Cred Forums.

I want to finish more games, and I saw that I had Graces but I remember dropping but I don't know why.

Can someone tell me if this game is good again?

Unfortunately none of the versperia costumes give battle music as Graces was the one who started the trend. Though I think xillia 2 had that music for a costume.

widely held to be one of the best combat systems stuck with one of the worst stories. Characters are terrible as plot devices but great interacting with each other
I love it, but I love all the tales games

Wow. Comprehensive, just what I was looking for. Thanks.

Symphonia it is. Then Abyss > Hearts > Graces > Innocence > Phantasia > Eternia.
Might sandwich Xillia in there between Graces and Innocence.

Whew, finally.

I can skip Xillia 1 and still play 2? Neat.
I am going to play the DS versions of Hearts and Innocence.

I'm actually constructing a list, at long last.

Appreciate the input, I'm stoked for Abyss and Graces. I like muh combat.

Is Trails of Cold Steel turn-based? And if so, is it excellently-executed turn-based? I would assume so, since you're sucking it off.

Should I play Graces instead of Graces f? Why are they given dumb letters to differentiate?

Don't worry, I didn't read it. I somehow avoided his faggot ass.

There's so much back-and-forth with Graces and Xillia I think I'll play them.

Kek, I'm halfway through Mayoiga. Enjoying it so far. I was watching it with Cred Forums when it aired but fell behind quickly.

I-I'll consider it

>japan hates actual combat
Kek, the fan service phenomenon in weeb games is definitely a problem I think we'll look back to in shame if this shit ever stops.

Don't worry, emulating it on Dolphin. Might play Abyss first, unsure.

I was looking up used cars and lost track of the thread, wow. Keep kicking it back and forth guys, I'll construct that listu

>Optimist McGee
kek, i'm basically optimist mcgee, i think i'll like the mc

>I can skip Xillia 1 and still play 2? Neat.
Yes and you won't understand a gosh darn thing. I'd say give Xillia 1 a quick playthrough. Don't linger too long on it or try to do every single sidequest.

>EOP
get fucked, nerd nigger. i took japanese for 2 years in high school but forgot and im not going to re-learn an entire language for a fucking video game that isn't even the best RPG series you can play nor action series.

Graces combat is fucking overrated.

I felt Abyss is the best game in the series because every single character is somehow tied to the events of what the main antagonist is doing. It's never "character ___ joins because of one thing and decides to stick around for everything after that doesn't involve them."
Everyone's got personal reasons for staying in the party.

Oh yeah, I didn't love it nearly as much as everyone else does, I was just saying that most people say it's amazing.
I played co-op and never had that kind of combo mastery everyone says you need to get the most out of graces. Had fun riding a boomerang sword around the arena as Malik, but I personally wouldn't rate the combat outside of mid-to-good Tales.

Are you the same user who always post's this comic? Not that I don't like it mind you.

Oh thanks user
>Though I think xillia 2 had that music for a costume.
Ludger he have Luca costume
And I think where he transform the costume became the asura one
Don't play Innocence on DS it's shit play the remake on vita

Don't think I've posted them that often, I only have two and I believe there's a few more.

>Replaying Abyss.
>Get to the part where Jade goes "you're a naughty boy, telling lies like that."
>Whyboner.

Abyss does the ever difficult 'picking a villain and sticking with him'. Van is the best Tales antagonist hands down, but most are really weak as characters because the writers think it cool to come out of left field in act three with the REAL evil guy. Duke is shit, I don't even remember the name of the guy at the end of Destiny 1, but he's shit, Yggdrassil is okay at best (Zesty tries to play it straight and still manages to fuck up, though). Van is a motherfucker, you know he's bad by the end of act 1, and everyone is personally related to him and has a mirror match in the God Generals.

Real answer.

Every tales game is skippable, there are much better JRPGS and action RPGS to play. Tales is trite garbage eaten up by weebs sick of the usual garbage they play but still need the fantasy they're use to.

I appreciate the post but for fuck sake I'm not buying a Jap PS2.

I will emulate Phantasia, Rebirth, and Eternia on GBA/PSP emulators. Maybe Tales of Destiny on PSX.

I hear shit like this all the time, and would absolutely love to know what these 10/10 must play JRPG's are
no joke, give me a list of the good ones, or your favorites, or something

> (You)
Is Trails of Cold Steel turn-based? And if so, is it excellently-executed turn-based?

It is, but its more of a strategic run around and position yourself turn based as opposed to stay in place and attack.

He's reaching. There are some good Tales games.

Duke and the giant global warming orb makes more sense if you do literally every side quest and event. It may have also only been PS3 content since I only played the translation.

>Has never played Abyss
The series sucks. But TOTA is amazing

It's in the 360 version too, super secret side events.
The same thing happens in Abyss where you won't understand how Luke comes back to life unless you do the string of events involving the Replica cheagle and talk to Dist after you kill Nephilim.

what are you on about the monster part was probably the only good part aside from the ariel combat being pretty fun. it was basically just tales of pokemon while also recycling all of symphonias dungeons and characters

oh yeah, I know damn well he's reaching. I've played most and loved all the Tales games, but I really want to know what goes on in that kind of shitposter's mind
Is he big into dungeon crawler SMT games? Only SRPGs? Does he just play Neptunia and think it's the cat's ass? I'm honestly curious.
I did all the english content and he still feels like a random inclusion that attempts to wrap the entelecia and humans into the plot instead of just side stories. If they actually added something to make Duke make sense I'll try and find a gamescript or something, I'd love to know what is up with that

OP here.
This is the vibe I'm getting too, that this series sucks and has like 2 good games that everyone suffers through the other games for for some reason.

It's always- "this BLOW but it has decent characters"
Who gives a flying fuck? If the combat is bad why even play it?

I'm excited to play Abyss though. I'll check other entries out.

Also- Graces or Graces f? Or is there just the one version?

just watch the anime if u have to, the game sucks, ideally skip both

The anime is shit.

Graces f

Turn based?

DQ
FF
BoF
Mario RPGs
Mother
Lufia 2
Live a live
SMT

Those come to mind. In terms of action games you have the gaia/quintet trilogy, ys, dragon's dogma, souls games, and KH.

Graces is wii only. Graces f is ps3 and includes a future arc.

Graces is shit. I'm not even joking.

Abyss
Vesperia
Xillia
Xillia 2


Those are the Tales games you should play. Xillia is just ok, but more than serviceable.

So all but Zestiria are worth playing?

Why do people say "the combat is mediocre" then if it's from this great series? Do they mean mediocre for Tales, but it's good-to-great for games in general?

This shit is perplexing.
If anyone has played the Tales games and Rogue Galaxy, please tell me which you prefer. Because I might just fire up Rogue Galaxy again and call it a day, because that JRPG rules.

Other than giving Abyss a shot of course. I'm off to snag it right now.

Graces is the Jap only Wii version, Graces f is the translated PS3 version + after story dlc chapter. Essentially only one version worth playing.

I always love when people post his videos, he needs more subs.

Then I guess you didn't pay attention to anything Duke said or the mural when you visit Judy's place way early in Act 2. Or anything in the fake village I guess.

It does end on a bit of a flat note and the fight with Flynn is better than the one with Duke but it does make sense.

how new are you? Legendia bro has been around forever.

Just Emulate Abyss for no loads time, undub, and voiced skits.

Abyss is what got me into the series, and I haven't enjoyed any others quite as much.

Though I haven't gotten around to Symphonia yet, heard good things though.

Of course I payed attention to all of that, but it still is contrived after going through two other major villains that there is also a giant squid eating the atmosphere and that some bishonen (who has been helping you this far) wants to let it in because he's sad that people killed his friend.

Don't forget Rogue Galaxy and Dark Cloud 2 for action.

Emulate it for PS2? I would but that's a pain in the ass.

The only reason why you would assume he wanted a list of turn based games is because you're retarded, have never played a tales of game and wanted to shitpost, or probably both. Tales of games have always been action RPGs.

I love this game so fucking much

One of my favorite games of all time

The story is definitely not for everyone, both the playable cast and the villains are shades of gray and do questionable shit

both, I own everygame sans Fandom.

I think tales fans (especially Cred Forums tales fans) are really critical of the series. It really gets divisive when you have 2D tales fans, 3D (abyss style) fans and 3D (graces style) fans all shitposting at each other. I've played almost everything on s list, and I still think Tales (yes even Zestiria) has good to great combat for JRPG's, and I've played most of them solo and co-op, and symphonia with a full 4 party of players.
They are absolutely worth playing. Some tales games are better than others; Chrono Trigger is better than FF6 but they are both fantastic

Perfect list.

Do you read japanese? If not, where did you go to understand the story / get directions?

Alright assholes, OP's final list. Here's what I am going to do.


>Start probably with Abyss, maybe Symphonia or do Symphonia after, if it's too dated I'll drop it
Then
Hearts > Graces f > Xillia 1 and 2 > Innocence

Destiny/Destiny DC (probably vanilla PSX though because I'm not autistic) > Phantasia > Eternia > Rebirth

The PSP versions of Eternia and Rebirth, the GBA Phantasia (or maybe PSP, which would you guys rec?)

I'm off to snag Abyss right now at my local Disc Replay. They're going to think I'm autistic, I was just there

It has my favorite story, it has a lot of content compared to a lot of Tales of games. The gameplay was good and still fun but it's outdated compared to the newer ones. Still has better gameplay than some rpgs released today anyways. The only problem I have is missables and backtracking in the last third of the game. It's my favorite of the ones I've played.

Thank you. this is exactly what I was looking for so I can be confident I wasn't wasting my time.

>Destiny/Destiny DC (probably vanilla PSX though because I'm not autistic)
To be completely honest it is probably not worth playing if you are going with PSX
I think I used 5 life bottles the whole game, and it is so early in the Tales combat development that you'd mostly be playing for the story

NO, don't start with Hearts, please. And never play Innocence, unless you want to get bored.

Start with Abyss, then Xillia 1 (or Vesperia if you have access to the PS3 version and know how to read japanese), then Graces F.

After those, you'll know what you like in Tales games.

I should also add that Jade is still my favorite Tales of character. I like Luke but a lot of people hate him too so you'll have to paly it yourself to see.

>Hearts
>Innocence
if they're not the vita versions the don't bother
Do Xillias before Graces

I never played the SNES era games so those are excluded but: Abyss > Symphonia > Vesperia > Everything else

I really want to try Phantasia some day.

>Snes era games

Phantasias the only one. You're thinking PSX

>PS2 emulation
>hard

LOL

You're right I skipped an era, man I love the graphical style that Phantasia, Destiny and Eternia had.

I wanna play this in Japanese but with English subtitles (no voice over skits triggers me), what do I do?

>download PCXS2
>download Undub ISO
>play game with the occasional audio hiccup

It's easy and not the kind that just works on my machine.

Glad to hear it user. They're easily among the best ones. and the style is lost on so many people these days because "lol pixels"

Nobody swears it is the best.
It just has the best character development.
Other than that it has slightly above par combat systems and the story isn't bad.

No faggot, start with symphonia, shits the most dated so youll hate the battle system if you play it after abyss.
Hearts/innocence are skippable

What level are you supposed to be by the second boss of Symphonia? It's the geyser boss and im getting my shit pushed in, lloyd is my highest at lvl 12

Graces F is the upgrade version of the normal Graces.
The bad things about Graces F and normal graces is the characters and story. Barring Pascal.
The combat and systems in the game actually have what I believe to be the most fluid combat system. Too bad nearly everything else about the game was generic by the number JRPG

>Auldocia
>second boss

Auldocia is the 8th boss of 56, List your party, and difficulty level. If you're on normal difficulty, you should be averaging 15-18 by Thoda geyser, I'd assume this is a Thoda geyser as 2nd seal, not 4th seal run correct?

Utilize raine over kratos, Have genis learn lightning and spark wave if you're on a T path, or Thunderblade if you're on S, You can equip him with a purple crystal if you have one (Found on Ossa Trail, you missed out if you passed Palmacosta already) Also Ring edge, one of Genis' kendama's, has lightning elemental by default, i'd look into it if you're having trouble.

Take out the amphitras first, as they can heal her, once they're gone, shes a cake walk. And backstep anytime she uses spread, and guard to tank aqua lasers or aqua edge.

Have fun.

I played and beat both Xillia games and I still hate them.
Fucking baba.

You misunderstand- I am starting with Abyss or Symphonia. Hearts was going to be the third game I play.

Cross off Innocence? Kek okay, makes it easier for me.

Alright, I like your recommendation style. Got it.

It is a Japanese person saying Sorry in broken English

Jokes on you, I like all the games. Except Tempest. Fuck Tempest.

>List your party, and difficulty level.
Lloyd = Lvl 12
Colette = Lvl 11
Genis = Lvl 10
Raine = Lvl 12
Kratos = Lvl 12

The party I'm using to fight Adulocia is Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and Raine. I'm having Genis use lightning but we all die so quickly. going to give it another go now

>8 bosses

Nigga what, I just bought the fire tiger a few hours ago

Skipping the OG? Tales of Phantasia on SNES nigga.

oh, and normal difficulty i believe

Can you just Youtube the voice over skits?

Berseria was surprisingly good after the trainwreck called Zestiria.

Set tactics. Have raine on healing, don't let her run up melee, Set collete to spam ring whirlwind, or paraball as well as angel feathers. Set Lloyd with Tiger blade, Demon fang, sonic thrust and beast, if you have them. set genis to ONLY use lightning. You're pretty low, i'd reccomend grinding the docks and get to at least 15-16. Thunderblade will help imensely. Make sure you've used lightning 50 times.


Vidarr
Exebula
Botta
Ktugach/Ktugatchling
Commander
Magnius
Pronyma

Anytime, "Strange foe, Keep your guard up, Law of the battle, Fatalize, Fighting of the spirit, Beat the angel, End of a thought, It can Waver and fight play, it's considered a boss.

Only enemies recieve full force, like a glint of light, and Keen edged blade.

Do not challenge my autism on Symphonia. You will lose.

Sorry, Killia, not Pronyma

Remakes can be amazing and easily surpass the originals when done right.

Looks like I'm going to have to grind

This thing is doing a special attack right off the bat and kills my three other party members

Worst part of this is the dungeon puzzle keeps resetting every time i leave and i cant save to keep retrying the boss

It's a fantastic game. The problem is, you have a choice between the PS2 version with offensive load times, or the 3ds version with lower res graphics and hand cramps from 50+ hours on a portable.

If they ported it to PS4 or PC with better load times it would easily be the best Tales. Just how Vesperia would probably be number 2 if you didn't have to choose between playing it on a shitty 360 that sounds like a jet engine with the worst dpad in the history of vidya or playing the japanese ps3 version and not understanding anything.

>Nothing tops vesperia, its the perfect blend of everything. And I say this as a symphonia fag.
The story is shit
The dungeons are shit
It takes far too much time to get going and half of the characters are horrible to play as
It's broken as fuck, you can literally tidal wave your way to victory.

You guys should stop gushing over Vesperia so hard

Get off your high horse; story is the same recycled Tales garbage.

You all need to accept that the best Tales story is Phantasia, and that it will not be topped since every Tales has that same story, but more shitty with each new title. Phantasia's story is really fucking good amongst jprgs.

You need to drop Graces and play Vesperia. You also have to play the 2D games to see why they are superior.

You are lining up for quite a bizarre ride, since you will enjoy the first games more than what you will enjoy the last few you plan to play.

And don't buy Phantasia GBA. You are really doing yourself a disservice if you go out of your way to avoid the best Tales has to offer.

The best Tales story is Berseria, it's not really debatable.
The script is not only leagues better than every other Tales, it's also much better than most jrpgs as a whole

Lmaoing @ u

>Zestiria
>Sophie is calling Jade her uncle
>He made her a matching pair of glasses
>He oneshot my party when he used Mystic Cage

Jade is eternal

His mystic cage looked fucking radical too.

Abyss
Pros:
>Best intro
>Best characters

Cons:
>Borderline Nonsense plot
>SHITLOADS of fetchquest filler
>Not a big fan of the art style.


The characters are so fucking good though that it covers for the rest.

It's kind of amazing how much better Abyss is at characterization and writing than every other game in the series. I've played most of the Tales games, with the exception of some of the more recent ones, and Abyss is probably the only title I would actually consider good.

Vesperia is alright, and I have some nostalgia for Destiny, but most other games in the series range from bad to mediocre. I got about 35 hours i to a Symphonia replay a few years ago and had to drop it because the writing was terrible and the dungeons grew more tedious as the game went on.

Play it.
You've said the two biggest issues. Free Run trivializes a lot of things because they didn't design around it. I liked the story, even though it's flawed as fuck and kind of retarded.

the real biggest issue is that the last quarter of the game is comprised of "run to this town, now go to this town, maybe fight a boss in a dungeon, go to this town, go back again, etc" and you start wondering why the fuck the game is being padded out so much

Innocence is okay. But that's just it -- it's nothing too special.
Hermana is probably the best girl in the entire series though.

Man, I loved the PS1 Destiny and Phantasia artstyle. It was like a sort of super-SNES game -- smoother framerate, cooler effects, but still crisp pixel art.

>>Borderline Nonsense plot
If you had trouble understanding the plot and how the world works, you just aren't smart, dude.
>>SHITLOADS of fetchquest filler
Actually no. Most of the sidequests alone just require you to show up somewhere at the right time.

I am not playing Vesperia. I don't have a 360.
Phantasia on the GBA I was going to emulate. Should I emulate it on my PSP emu?

>Borderline nonsense plot

Sorry, but are you really that dumb? It's a very heavy political/religious story. he stuff that happens in abyss is very heavy and very high impact on the structure of the worlds society.

Its a far more intellectual tales then just "Go fight these beasts and kill the leader"

>Phantasia on the GBA I was going to emulate

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

NO NO NO NO CEASE AND DESIST

SUPER FAMICOM
PLAYSTATION
PSP FULL VOICE

ANY OF THOSE.

DO NOT PLAY THE GBA VERSION

IT IS A HORRIBLE, BASTARDIZED PORT

This.
I recommend the famicom version with translation patch because of this cutie's voice clips.

There's a lot of things I didn't like about Symphonia. And overall I think it was a mediocre experience. But one thing I loved was checking the synopsis after anything happened because each entry was surprisingly well written and often explained things in better detail than the game itself, which at times felt like was just giving you cliff notes.

So moving from this directly to Xillia and getting

a few

triple spaced

detailess sentences

for each entry is incredibly dissappointing.

I feel the problem is so many people rush symphonia.

I remember my fondest memories roaming sylverant and doing every single sidequest, collecting all the weapons, filling my log and monster book, etc.

I'd turn it on just to roam the world for hours on end when I was a kid. I fucking loved the two worlds.

I remember playing GBA. Horrible port, but still a decent game.

character development in abyss is still the best to this day, story coming close after and gameplay still great, although not as polished obviously as newer ones

Graces F is alright but the story is completely cringe worthy and ruins the game for most people.

Star Ocean is a lot of fun both plot wise and game content wise; most people shit on it because of 'graphics' not being up to standards.
Symphonia has a certain charm to it I can't explain, but I'd recommend giving it a shot, too.

I'm kekkin
OP here, PSP it is. Thanks senpai

Velvet and Milla are best girls.

Wow, no that's actually me. It's nice to see someone else posting them for once.