Video by Matt S. Tales of Arise is going to be something special. From just the first hour with the demo, I can already see that this game has it all; gorgeous aesthetics, amazing characters, and a combat system that JRPG fans are going to love. I remain terrible as…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Bandai Namco’s Tales franchise has always been good at telling classical JRPG stories, using classical JRPG tropes. From Tales of Phantasia right back in 1995, though to the most recent, Tales of Berseria, released in 2016, Bandai has never strayed too far from the established path in…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. Tales of Vesperia is the first major JRPG release for 2019. I’ve always had a complex relationship with the Tales series for its combat, so in this video I take a short look at the combat system – what I enjoy, and what frustrates me. Be…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Of all the venerable JRPG franchises, the Tales series is the one that I have the most complicated relationship with. The truth is that I simply don’t enjoy them all that much. While I do appreciate some of the series’ hallmarks (they tend to represent inter-character…
Read MoreNews by Clark A. There’s no shortage of Tales games on the PS3 now – more than half a dozen titles in the series are playable on the system. That hasn’t prevented the upcoming Tales of Zestiria from looking like another fun romp through a fantasy world, however. One of…
Read MoreReview by Clark A. For as long as the Tales franchise has been running, it’s impressive that only two true “sequels” exist. There’s a certain appeal in revisiting the characters of a past instalment after a grand quest, but it’s also challenging to execute a story that doesn’t feel tacked…
Read MoreReview by Clark A. Tales of Symphonia originally released at a point during which JRPGs were classically turn-based and text-heavy affairs. Aside from the fact that it had considerable marketing behind it, many claim Symphonia was a success because it stood out. It had voice acting, multiplayer co-op, a three…
Read MoreThe Tales series has a long history; 14 main games and a handful of side quests. Through that time there has been a remarkably consistent approach to game design and though there’s been general improvements and tweaks to the spreadsheets operating the game, for the player, there’s a familiarity about…
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