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Tales of Vesperia | 
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| From: Namco
Category: Video Games
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $56.75
You Save: $3.24 (5%)
New (25) Used (8) from $39.85
Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 868
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Edition: Standard
Batteries Included: No
Age: 12 - 20 years
Operating System: Xbox 360
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 21016
Model: 21016
UPC: 722674210164
EAN: 0722674210164
ASIN: B0015HZLVA
Release Date: August 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
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| Features:
| • | Next Gen sights and sounds - First Tales RPG game with high-definition graphics, broadcast quality animation, and Dolby surround sound. | | • | Evolved real-time battle system - New refinements and additions to the trademark Tales real-time battle engine making for the most action-packed, dynamic RPG fighting ever | | • | Fan favorite character designs - Characters designed by famous manga artist, Kosuke Fujishima, responsible for popular series’ Ah! My Goddess, Sakura Taisen and You're Under Arrest | | • | Immersive look and feel - Detailed environments, animation and an artistic style so good, it's like playing a cartoon | | • | Dramatic story - Gripping tale of a young hero on a quest for justice, trust and friendship filled with unexpected twists and turns at every step. A decade of Tales - The first game celebrating the Tales 10 year anniversary. |
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| Accessories:
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
A New Generation of Tales Unfold A power struggle begins in a civilization dependant on an ancient technology, the blastia, and the Empire that controls it. The fates of two friends traveling separate paths intertwine in an epic adventure that threatens the existence of all. Tales of Vesperia marks the first Tales RPG release in high-def with detail and graphics never before seen in the series. Now, real-time battles are more exciting than ever with over limits, the ability to unleash fatal strikes, combinations and burst artes. The next evolution of the revered role-playing series comes to the Xbox 360. 
| Key Features
- A classic series returns: The newest installment of the Tales RPG series keeping the established gameplay formula that fans love
- Next Gen sights and sounds: First Tales RPG game with high-definition graphics, broadcast quality animation, and Dolby surround sound
- Evolved real-time battle system: New refinements and additions to the trademark Tales real-time battle engine making for dynamic, action-packed RPG fighting
- Fan favorite character designs: Characters designed by famous manga artist, Kosuke Fujishima, responsible for popular series' Ah! My Goddess, Sakura Taisen and You're Under Arrest
- Immersive look and feel: Detailed environments, animation and an artistic style so good, it's like playing a cartoon
- Dramatic story: Gripping tale of a young hero on a quest for justice, trust and friendship filled with unexpected twists and turns at every step
- A decade of Tales: The first game celebrating the Tales 10 year anniversary
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Characters designed by famous manga artist, Kosuke Fujishima
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A classic series returns.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 nicely done November 4, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
My daughter is determined to get to the end -- it is very addicting and not too violent.
 Tales of Vesperia RPG Glory October 28, 2008
It's been a long time since I've played an RPG like Vesperia, boasting a robust engine that is bug-free and has virtually no load time. The story is cleverly written, the graphics are detailed and the cell shading is fluid, gameplay is well-thought out and addictive, and even the voice acting is impressive.
Unlike most RPGs out today, Tales focuses mostly on trying to tell a good story, and immerse you into it as much as possible, and in both aspects it is successful. I can't tell you how many times I've played through the entire night just so I can see what happens next in the engrossing story.
The combat system is well-programmed and intuitive. It'll keep you on the edge of your seat as you unleash some flashy artes and slash your sword in real time. With a wide variety of classes (each party member is a different class and you can choose to fight with any one), abilities, weapons, cooking recipes (for buffs), potions, and other consumables, it's seems to be impossible to get bored with combat and fighting in this game.
Tales of Vesperia reminds me of the good old days, when RPGs were a bit more ''minimalistic'', as in, focusing more on telling a charming story about a group of characters that unfolds as you progress, instead of all the epic ''customize your own character'', ''forge your own destiny'', ''be good or evil'' type rpgs. Don't get me wrong, those types of games are great too, and Tales is still one heck of a deep, expansive world, but here we have a classic gem that shows how an rpg can still be used for good ol' fashioned story telling. Here you assume the role of a character who is plunged into an adventure that unfolds all around him, instead of a ''virtual you'' assuming the role of a hero as you make your own destiny to save the world. The way the story unfolds it reminds me of games like Zelda 64, with its whimsical charm and grandiose plotline.
Just as we were finally coming to terms with JRPGs falling behind, beginning to decay and struggle to keep up with current times, a game like this had to come out and revitalize the entire genre. In my opinion, Tales of Vesperia is the seminal next-gen JRPG, and I'll be using this game as a benchmark for the surge of upcoming next-gen JRPGS (which no doubt was partly caused by this game).
If you are a fan of jrpgs, or even a fan of rpgs in general and are looking for a game that might hearken back to straight up old fashioned story telling but is still new and fresh, than give this game a shot. I wasn't disappointed and I don't think you will be either.
A must play game October 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Tales of Vesperia may not have a original storyline but it is definitely well told. The gameplay is the best thing in this game. I have always like the battle system of all tales and this one does not disappoint me. The graphics are the best. It has a anime style type of graphics and everything look great. Surprisingly, the AI does a very good job of keeping your characters alive and using items on allies who need them. The soundtrack really helps with the game system and you will be glad to heard it
Tales in Hi-Def October 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Tales of Vesperia is the tenth game in a long-running Japanese role-playing game franchise, and it's the best one yet. In it, you assume control of Yuri Lowell. The set-up: A petty thief has pilfered the Aque Blastia, a device that controls the waterworks in the Imperial capital's Lower Quarter district. With the nobles and bureaucrats in the Upper Quarter showing indifference to the needs of the unwashed masses below, it's up to populist Yuri and his canine partner Repede to track the bandit down and retrieve the blastia.
The quest will encompass 50+ hours of travel and real-time (not turn-based) combat, and it doesn't necessarily end with the reclamation of the Aque Blastia (duh!). Over the course of the adventure, Yuri is joined by a lively and likable band of characters: Estelle, a noble with a great deal of responsibility on her shoulders; Karol, a twelve year-old but surprisingly worldly monster hunter; Rita, a sixteen year-old scholar who's eccentric but a prodigy in her field; Raven, a suspicious old man with a dirty mind; and Judith, a distant beauty who makes a surprising entrance into the proceedings.
The action is driven by a clean, un-convoluted plot in which every character has an established motive that is never deviated from. As the protagonist, Yuri provides a refreshing pair of shoes to step into. Instead of being a naive, wide-eyed idealist, he's a worldly, cynical idealist. His nonchalant attitude toward the intense and the absurd is both funny and admirable. He even demonstrates attitude in combat, where he vigorously tosses about his blade in an acrobatic manner.
The gameplay is comprised of dungeon-crawling and the aforementioned real-time combat. There's a nifty system in which you can learn special abilities sealed within weapons. These allow for effects such as enhancement of core attributes, combo extension, advanced skill chaining, and even alteration of skills (among many, many other effects). You can either use these abilities by equipping the weapon they're sealed in, or you can master them after a period of time and equip them without the weapon. There's also the new Fatal Strike mechanic, in which repeatedly using one of three skill-types builds up a meter that lets you perform a deathblow on an enemy. Returning from Tales of the Abyss is the Free Run mechanic, in which you can step out of the standard linear movement and walk around in 360 degrees; it's been tweaked to make cheap escapes more difficult.
Vesperia also contains all the familiar Tales elements: side quests, unlockable character titles, skits (which are fully voiced in English for the first time ever), a cooking mechanic, legacy cameos, and minigames. Like other 360 titles, there are also achievement points to unlock, with 450 guaranteed during a standard play through. The hi-def cell-shaded graphics are stunning, and the soundtrack is superb mix of signature Motoi Sakuraba tunes and some new sound from a Hibiki Aoyama. This is a great role-playing game that's worth the $60 price tag.
 Evolutionary step for the series, doesn't try anything new. October 17, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Japanese RPG genre has struggled to remain viable in today's video game market. With the poor showing as a possibility for any Japanese RPG in the western market, there is pressure on developers to change their formula in one way or another. Tales of Vesperia goes against the grain, in that it doesn't try to change anything. For fans this slight evolutionary step might be enough, but this game doesn't make any attempt to draw a new crowd.
Being on the 360, the game does move the series forward in obvious ways. The graphics, still cell shaded, are more detailed in just about every way. The game also takes good advantage of 5.1 sound if you have the system. The widescreen display does well for the battles and keeping all your characters in a viewable area. That said, these things are really all considered standard on any Xbox 360 game.
The rest of the game is pretty much like any one of its PS2 counterparts. That isn't to say it is bad. The characters and plot are all compelling and the real time tales battle system is still very fun. The downside is that the game still plays very slowly compared to other modern games. You still have the encounters where it loads a battle scene, and then when you win you still have a victory screen showing the results. That slows down the game considerably, but you can always avoid battles since the enemies are visible on screen. I also felt the story sequences could have been speed up a little. When the game is just starting you get a lot of story and it feels like it takes a while for it to pick up momentum.
All in all the game is exactly what fans expected. It doesn't have any surprise turn offs, but there really isn't much to set this game apart. If you're a fan of Japanese RPGs then I'm sure they will plenty to like. If historically you've avoided the genre, there isn't anything here that will change your mind. It is a good game, but its been done before.
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