Tales of this thread

[Sydian]

I think I'm 40 hours in and what I'm going to say isn't pretty, but if you follow me on Twitter/Tumblr, it's nothing you haven't heard before, except I'm going to be less vague and a lot more brash.

Spoiler:

It's going to be a chore for me to finish this game. I realize levels aren't everything and most of this game has been me underlevel and complaining about exp output, but Christ Almighty. The game actually expects me to fight a level 80 Maltran when I'm sitting here struggling to get to 50? And without Rose, who can armatize while Alisha can't? I'm sorry, but Alisha is useless. She's a boring character with a great design, that's all I can say about her. I'm honestly shocked people complained about swapping her for Rose because that was the best part of the game for me was when I got Rose and Dezel. And then the game kills off Dezel and makes Rose leave. Someone PLEASE tell me that Rose comes back because as far as I can tell, my guide book doesn't seem to indicate it.

But aside from a level 80 boss that I'm on the painfully low grind for atm, apparently the final boss (I didn't even care honestly, so yes, I looked ahead in my guide book) becomes level 150 at some point???/ HhahahashdhahahahahadahhHHAHaHhahahaAAhahaHAHAHAHA

**** that. I would honestly advise against this game. I like a lot of the characters honestly, but I wouldn't even recommend it for that. They don't save the game at all. Just watch the anime that comes out next year and skip this game. Seriously.

 

[Nah]

gah all these things in spoiler tags I wanna read but can't since I'm not that far into the game =(

 

[Dragon]

I need to get this off my chest too. xD

Spoiler:

I too am disappointed on how this game turned out, which if you've spoken with me, I was really, really excited about this game. Honestly, these days I turned back to playing Tales of Vesperia and Tales of Rebirth on my PS Vita, in which I don't really have much desire playing Zestiria other than the sake of trying to beat it and to see more of Lailah. :L Bah.

Like first of all, this game is pretty unbalanced. Its not uncommon for Tales games to put you in hopeless battle situations like in Symphonia Dawn of the New World or Legendia, but there's something really enjoyable about this game that makes you have to survive a battle where you're like, 30-40 levels below a certain figure? Ugh.

Another thing, what is with the enemies... okay, yeah, I get why some enemies are up on the ceiling, like the Spider Hellions and such. After a while I think, 'oh sure I can just look up to see them and plan my next move'. Which was fine, but then there are some enemies that literally just pop out of nowhere like those Centipede monsters? And no I'm not exaggerating - they literally just magically materialize without any warning or indication! It's an necessary element if you ask me; they should of just stuck with enemies being visible to plan our next move. I mean, it worked for the other Tales games - why suddenly change the schematic on this game?

The story is okay, but it gets bland and the objectives gets tedious after a while. Dare I say even more tedious than Symphonia's...?

Don't get me wrong, I think the characters are amazing and the music is incredible but.. I think the bad out weighs the good in this scenario. It's not the worst Tales game I've played - (like has anyone here played Tempest? Geez), but it's not really a Tales Game I'd recommend, and I can't really see myself going back to it other than.. nostalgic purposes. x:

 

[thedestinedblade]

Don't wanna pile on, but let me just add that I can't really get motivated to really devote serious time to this game. The characters are bland and the atmosphere feels rather empty so far. I'm only about 9 hours in; hopefully it gets better?

 

[Pyrax]

In other news...I might start Hearts R soon. I've been putting it off for, like, a year now, and it can't be any worse than Zestiria was.

Well... The translation has a tendency to exaggerate the characters' habits and personalities, like Beryl jumbling up her words more often and making Hisui more violent than he actually is. The result of a scrapped (likely due to budget or time constraints) English dub, I suppose.
The combat system is easily one of my favourites, though. Chase Links are absolutely devastating when done right.

 

[thedestinedblade]

"Kor Meteor doesn't try, Kor Meteor DOES!"

{XD} -_-

If you can get past the cheesiness of the story and characters you might enjoy Hearts R.

 

[Arc]

Spoiler:

Like first of all, this game is pretty unbalanced. Its not uncommon for Tales games to put you in hopeless battle situations like in Symphonia Dawn of the New World or Legendia, but there's something really enjoyable about this game that makes you have to survive a battle where you're like, 30-40 levels below a certain figure? Ugh.

Spoiler:

You know, when I first played the Japanese version, I complained about this at first too. But, after a certain point, you realize that levels don't really amount to much. Decent equipment is more than enough to bridge the gap. If anything, monsters being higher-leveled is actually beneficial, since they're more likely to drop better equipment. Let's put this into perspective, I've mainly been screwing around, I'm right before the fight against Tiamat at level 55 on Chaos. Almost every encounter has regular monster and bosses' levels since Zaphgot Moor (spelling?) have been doubling mine. And I'm still going through most fights comfortably (except for casting monsters, **** those guys), since my equipment is literally carrying my ass.

The result of a scrapped (likely due to budget or time constraints) English dub, I suppose.

I don't think an English dub was ever intended for Hearts R. It seemed like it was just a test release on Bamco's part, to see how well the Vita market fares overseas. No point in pouring money into something that isn't expected to fly off of shelves. The translation itself, is filled with dubious work though. I mean, it gets the job done, and almost always gets the main idea of what's said. However, there was a lot of liberties taken with it - like you mentioned before - personalities and quirks being more exaggerated than they should be; which is one of the many atrocities made in the translation.

Gameplay was alright. Battle system is a mixed bag for me. I really liked the CC (or emotion gauge, whatever it was called) in the DS version, yet I'm not the biggest fan of Xillia's AC/TP system used for R. However, I dig Chase Links a lot, despite it being a relatively easy mechanic to abuse.

Also, Lailah's Japanese VA, Matsuki Miyu, just recently passed away at 38. RIP. ;___;

 

[pkmin3033]

Thirty-eight?! Freakin' hell. I never actually listened to her voice in-game, but I've heard her in a couple of anime. That's such a shame =/

Also, regarding Hearts R: everything I've heard about it, other than the aerial combat - I hate trying to juggle things; one wrong move and you're screwed - sounds right up my alley...it sounds like the translation has made it ridiculously hammy, and I LOVE hammy things. xD

And **** the item drop rate for Zestiria, SERIOUSLY. I've spent hours farming for Lailah's equipment now, and I'm getting absolutely nowhere very quickly. Slowly losing the will to live trying to get this godawful platinum trophy...

 

[Dracowyn]

Eh, I actually enjoyed Zestiria. I beat it yesterday and I'm doing a new game + now (tryin to do all the extra stuff I missed).

Then again, this is my first Tales game in a long time. I've only played Symphonia (which is my favorite game ever), Phantasia and Symphonia 2 in the past. Thanks to owning no playstation/xbox systems and living in the PAL region which Namco seems to hate the most. So I don't have a lot to compare it to.

 

[Arc]

Also, regarding Hearts R: everything I've heard about it, other than the aerial combat - I hate trying to juggle things; one wrong move and you're screwed - sounds right up my alley...it sounds like the translation has made it ridiculously hammy, and I LOVE hammy things. xD

Chase Links are very, very forgiving. Once you've sent a monster into Chase Link mode, even if you screw up, the combo will continue as long as the mode is still active or unless you end it yourself. The original Hearts for DS was more along the lines you're talking about, with juggling being more "stricter" to maintain; if you weren't just cheesing out with Shing and Kunzite that is.

 

[Sydian]

I ordered a pin with Julius and Ludger on it recently and it finally came in today! It's beautiful and wonderful and will be going on my work lanyard. But now I'll have to deal with people asking me if they're gay lovers, lol. :<

 

[Nah]

Man when is there gonna be an extended version of this up on Youtube:


Favorite track in the game right now probably

 

[Sydian]

Zaveid the Exile is my absolute favorite track in the game. I also love all the tracks for the elemental trials.

Anyway, I beat the game last night. I actually bought DLC with level up packs to speed it along because I was just ready to get it over with.

Spoiler:

The ending confused me and I had to go rewatch it to make sense of it, but I think I got it. Uhhh. I don't know if I'll ever bother playing this again, honestly. I enjoyed it in the beginning, but as I went on, I just kind of got frustrated and bored with it, and almost downright angry. I get that equipment is a focus in this game, but holy ****, that doesn't mean I can take on bosses that are double my level. It's like if you gave a level 1 Pokemon all the best moves it could possibly have and tried to put it against something much higher than it. It's not going to work, even though it's got the right "equipment" per se.

I also don't like how some of the characters are treated here. I find Alisha really boring and it's not really her fault. They didn't give her to me long enough to really get to know her and like her. And don't tell me "oh the DLC though!" because that's DLC. I shouldn't have to play an optional thing to get to know and appreciate someone that is marketed as a main character. I know it's free, but that doesn't change the fact that it's tacked on content and not included in the main story. I like Rose a lot more and I'm thankful that she was with me through most of the story (especially since she's who I ended up maining), but it's annoying when the game takes her away from me since you can only have two characters out at a time without another human party member.

I think Alisha could have been relegated as a character like Sergei. Sorey and Mikleo could have still found her in the ruins and saved her and helped her back in Ladylake. Like idk. They should have done all or nothing with her because she ends up being lackluster and I don't like that. I want to like her more, I'm just not given the chance, not without the DLC, of course. And I don't intend on playing it because I didn't really enjoy this game that much.

I don't like how Dezel is treated as well. I get why he died. I understand why. I get why Zaveid takes his place (and hat) afterwards. I understand. But ugh. Take away a main character around the middle of the game? Really? At least Xillia 2 had the decency to break my heart at the end and not in the middle. I really love Dezel and I was honestly playing for him and Rose at that point in the game and they killed him off. I wasn't happy...I'm still not happy. At least he got to be with the party longer than Alisha got to and we saw more of his personality and backstory, but at the same time, that backstory got really crammed into the mix and just all...happened. Like it just dropped out of the sky on us.

With all of that being said, I feel like they just had a lot of characters they wanted to use for this and two of them suffer immensely because of it. And in a series where there is a lot of focus put on the characters and their interactions (at least that's what I gather), it's a shame.

If I ever do replay this game, it would be for Dezel. Dezel dogman, you deserved better. :(

If you read all of that, I should clarify, I don't hate this game, but there's a lot I dislike. I'm not here to argue my thoughts with anyone either, I just want to get my opinion off my chest. I had to wait on someone to post in here since last I looked, I was the last posted so I couldn't double post lol. I feel better now.

Oh, one last important thing.

Spoiler:

Long haired Mikleo can get it.

 

[Arc]

Rising Up is still my absolute favourite for this game.



This is inspiring.

I get that equipment is a focus in this game, but holy ****, that doesn't mean I can take on bosses that are double my level. It's like if you gave a level 1 Pokemon all the best moves it could possibly have and tried to put it against something much higher than it. It's not going to work, even though it's got the right "equipment" per se.

But, that's not an apt comparison. Level gains in Pokemon are immensely more vital than it is in Zestiria. For Zestiria, the stats gained for each level aren't even worth noticing unless you look at intervals of fifty - in a game where level 200 is the highest, might I add. For example, the video below.



Would you rather be level 200 with okay equipment, or level 50 with the broken set-up that breaks this game into two? For clarification, the skill set-up for Sorey is Lucifer and Eternal, which are Stack Bonus 15 and 16, respectively. Lucifer decreases SC usage by half and Eternal removes your four actions cap, which essentially allows you to endless combo everyone.

 

[pkmin3033]

It's not so much the equipment fusion system that is aggravating as it is the drop rate - even with Normin assignment and Lord of the Land boons to boost the drop rate, getting the equipment you want is a nightmare. Getting a setup like that would take an insane number of hours or an ungodly amount of luck. The system would be fine if the game's mechanics actually complemented it. There isn't a reliable way to manipulate the drop rate, just boost it and pray. Now, if you could control what dropped - not necessarily the skills, just the item name - then that would be another matter entirely...

As it is, to get my endgame gear I had to spend about four hours running one of the Crucibles over and over for Lindwer gear for Sorey and Lailah...although the end result was that I curbstomped boosted Kittybeard's second form on Hard mode, netting me the trophy for it. His first form was much harder than his second for its elemental resistances, actually.

And that fight was nothing compared to what I had to do to unlock it...I had to do the last fight in the bonus dungeon on Normal, and the only way I managed it in the end was through spamming Arcane Bottles and unleashing a steady stream of Mystic Artes. Seriously, this game has INSANE optional bosses, they're on a completely different level even on easier difficulties.

...on a side note, all I need to do is get my equipment in NG+, run around in circles to grind out Dietician's Nightmare, and finish Alisha's DLC, and I'll have my Platinum trophy. I'm sitting at nearly 60 hours now. The grind in this game is made all the more tedious for the lack of information available...at least in Symphonia Chronicles I could keep track of everything through the Collector's Book, and the Xillia games had pretty comprehensive menus. Zestiria is painfully minimalistic by comparison.

 

[U.Flame]

Woo Tales thread! So I was super hyped for Zestiria, but I didn't get the chance to preorder...nor can I even afford it now. Still hyped though, trying to avoid spoilers.

So I recently got Hearts R, and I quite liked it.

Spoiler:

The story and ending weren't exactly disappointing, but it wasn't emotional enough to make me cry. Usually most Tales games do.

I think most complaints about the translation don't take into account that most localizations change things up a bit. Though I can agree that without a dub, it's kinda weird to notice the inconsistencies between the text and the voices. Like changing Shing's name to Kor. Even without knowing Japanese it's obvious the characters aren't calling him Kor.

Now that Zestiria's out, is there any word on the Innocence translation possibility? They said they were focusing on Zestiria so now what's their plan? I believe Hearts R did well enough for them to consider it, so I'm hoping. Played DS Innocence with the Absolute Zero English patch, and it turned out to be one of my favorite games, with one of the most interesting settings and characters.

So one thing I've wanted to talk about is Xillia's battle system. Is it me or does it seem really unbalanced? Like, most of the time I'm either doing massive damage or none at all, and it's impossible to keep up a combo. Xillia 2 fixed a lot, especially with the comboing. God I love Xillia 2, truly one of my favorite games, next to Abyss.

Spoiler:

Freakin dark story, super emotional. Cried throughout the whole fight with Ludger's brother and even harder during the following scenes. And holy **** the whole Victor thing.

I love the much more modern setting, with things like phone and memes being a thing.

 

[ソラ]

Now that Zestiria's out, is there any word on the Innocence translation possibility? They said they were focusing on Zestiria so now what's their plan? I believe Hearts R did well enough for them to consider it, so I'm hoping. Played DS Innocence with the Absolute Zero English patch, and it turned out to be one of my favorite games, with one of the most interesting settings and characters.

I honestly dont see them bringing over Innocence as it isnt one of the popular Tales. Tales of Hearts R was a must, its probably one of the most popular beyond fans. I got bored of ToI-R fast, I felt like the game was mostly a chore. Hearts R I loved (still havent gotten the english version...lol), I do have the DS version of Hearts (anime edition) and i plan on playing it, But its in my back log.

I also heard mixed things about ToZ, not gonna say them. But I have second thoughts on buying it. Or waiting for the price is low, the main reason I am picky with games now is the money, i have a daughter to raise and I cant blow it on games I may dislike or think its a chore, i cant blow off 60 bucks (USD) for a game.

 

[Dragon]

You know, speaking about ToZ... maybe I've been a little too hard on it? I mean yeah, it has it's obvious faults (like that trolly camera haha). But I must admit, the game leaves a great lasting impression on me; the characters are lovable and memorable, and while the story gets kinda.. bland at times, there are really some epic and emotional moments that I remember all to well, making me more into the game, you know?

It's not perfect by any means, but, I'd say, maybe it's a good game to recommend to people down the road to set a certain tone for Tales games, or if they want to get into the series. Sure, the battle system gets kinda.. mindless, but it does leave room for strategy with equipment and combo ties. It's actually pretty fun in that regard! Just a thought!

 

[ソラ]

Well I dont usually listen to critics, I listen to my close friends. Most of them told me to wait until it drops, it isnt the best Tales, and its not as well as people thought it would be.

 

[Sydian]

I've kind of been in the mood to get back to Xillia 2 and work on affinity + debt + final dungeon. And play a bit of ng+ for Ludger's voice. I don't see myself fully completing Xillia 2 again bc I don't think I can handle it, haha. Also, whoever mentioned liking the more modern setting of the Xillias, I definitely agree. I kind of groaned at the more medievall thing Zestiria had when I went to that right after consecutive Xillias, haha. I mean, I know, roots and all, but Elympios was so refreshing.

Well I dont usually listen to critics, I listen to my close friends. Most of them told me to wait until it drops, it isnt the best Tales, and its not as well as people thought it would be.

I think you should play it safe and wait on a price drop. I wouldn't call it horrible, though. It's playable, but it's disappointing in a lot of aspects.