Tales of Xillia 2!

[.Alone]

It comes out on Tuesday! Just curious to know who all plans on picking it up, and if you are getting it, are you getting the CE or the guidebook as well.

 

[Aninymouse]

I love Tales games in general, but seeing as I haven't owned a Playstation anything since the very first one (and then someone stole it), there's no chance of me ever playing this.

The Tales studio apparently claims they only want to develope games for Playstation consoles, too, so I guess Vesperia was my last new Tales game. Kind of sad, really.

I can't say I'm a fan of the half-realistic-half-anime visuals, though. I feel like you ought to do one or the other. It'd be just fine, except you get a character like Mila or whatever with the huge uguu eyes and the bobblehead and yeah. It's unsettling.

 

[Minato]

I've beaten the Japanese version. I was going to pick up the English version day one, but then I found out only the CE version comes with the Asbel, Yuri, and Emil costumes. Going to just wait until it gets cheap before picking it up. ToX2 is a pretty fun Tales though.

 

[Rutger]

I'll be getting the standard edition tomorrow. I really enjoyed ToX, despite a lot of flaws, and I hear this one improves it in several ways. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[.Alone]

I've heard ToX2 is one of the best so I'm pretty stoked. I wish Gamestop had a midnight release for it.

 

[MirrorTael]

Wow it crept up on me. I'm not done with the first one! But the minute I pass it on a shelf I'm not walking out the store without it. I wonder if I should get the collectors edition, seeing as I have the first ToX collectors edition purely by accident. :/

 

[Ussi]

I love the tales series but no playstation dilemma :/

Tis a shame

 

[.Alone]

Well, the game has been amazing so far. I'm about 5 hours in. Can already tell the storyline is a lot darker than most (if not all) other Tales games I've played so far.

 

[Minato]

Well, the game has been amazing so far. I'm about 5 hours in. Can already tell the storyline is a lot darker than most (if not all) other Tales games I've played so far.

It's probably the one Tales that got me to really feel for the characters and the problems. It's done pretty well.

 

[.Alone]

It's probably the one Tales that got me to really feel for the characters and the problems. It's done pretty well.

My only real issue is that I hear the game is fairly short. I'm already almost done with Chapter 4, and I hear Chapter 5 is even shorter. Supposedly the game is 15 or 16 chapters long..so if that's the case, I'm on pace to beat the game in 15 hours, hard mode. Seems very short...

 

[Minato]

Yeah, it's a lot shorter than other Tales, but I do like it. Has a lot less filler and padding, but it's easy to tell they didn't put the same amount of time and budget. The character episodes are rather cool though. I think the chapters might get a little bit longer later on, but I'm not positive.

 

[Rutger]

I'd rather it be a little short than overstaying its welcome like ToA, but that's just me.

I'll probably spend a lot of time on this game anyways, I'm enjoying it so far. I've been wasting quite a bit of time exploring the battle system. The side step has an awkward input, but is welcomed. Dual sword Ludger is fun to play, guns less so but I'm looking forward to exploring weapon switching more. Poor Jude got his speed nerfed badly, I haven't played him much yet. Alvin feels a lot like I remember from ToX, I'll probably use him in a lot of random battles.

Hard mode seems more difficult than I remember from ToX. Bosses are going to test my patience but I'm not ready to turn it down yet. I'll wait and see if I can push through the boss I'm on tomorrow.


Ludger is a pretty cool protagonist, great design and I don't really mind him being silent.

 

[Aninymouse]

I've heard some people suggest that ToX 1&2 are pretty much half games. That would be fine if they cost half as much, but when they cost full price when new...

@ Ussi , what Tales games have you played? I've only played Phantasia, Symphonia, Dawn of the New World (ugh so much potential wasted), and Vesperia. I think I'm going to get Abyss for 3DS soon. After that, I'm not sure I'll have any more to play without buying more hardware

Ludger is a pretty cool protagonist, great design and I don't really mind him being silent.

Silent protagonist? I'm not sure they've done that since Cress in Phantasia... But then I never played any of the PS2 games, so I dunno.

 

[Minato]

I've heard some people suggest that ToX 1&2 are pretty much half games. That would be fine if they cost half as much, but when they cost full price when new...

@ Ussi , what Tales games have you played? I've only played Phantasia, Symphonia, Dawn of the New World (ugh so much potential wasted), and Vesperia. I think I'm going to get Abyss for 3DS soon. After that, I'm not sure I'll have any more to play without buying more hardware


Silent protagonist? I'm not sure they've done that since Cress in Phantasia... But then I never played any of the PS2 games, so I dunno.

I'm going to assume that Cress thing is a joke... lol

And I wouldn't say they're half games. They're not as long as other Tales games, but like Rutger said, they're good since they don't overstay their welcome. Too many Tales games suffer by extending the games for no good reason.

 

[.Alone]

I've heard some people suggest that ToX 1&2 are pretty much half games. That would be fine if they cost half as much, but when they cost full price when new...

I have heard that ToX2 improves upon ToX in almost every regard. The game includes many of the Tales' series usual sidequests that didn't make the cut in ToX (swimsuits for example), while improving the aspects of the game that ToX did include, but half-assed. I'm still too early in the game to confirm any of this, but if it's true, I wouldn't mind the game being slightly shorter.

 

[Ussi]

I've heard some people suggest that ToX 1&2 are pretty much half games. That would be fine if they cost half as much, but when they cost full price when new...

@ Ussi , what Tales games have you played? I've only played Phantasia, Symphonia, Dawn of the New World (ugh so much potential wasted), and Vesperia. I think I'm going to get Abyss for 3DS soon. After that, I'm not sure I'll have any more to play without buying more hardware


Silent protagonist? I'm not sure they've done that since Cress in Phantasia... But then I never played any of the PS2 games, so I dunno.

Same 4 as you. A tales game for the 3DS? I'll have to look into that.

 

[.Alone]

Same 4 as you. A tales game for the 3DS? I'll have to look into that.

It's a port of the PS2 game, Tales of the Abyss. I have both, and the biggest difference is the 3DS version has much quicker load times. PS2 version would take sometimes 5-10 seconds to load a screen, 3DS version loads instantly. Definitely worth a playthrough.

 

[Minato]

I have heard that ToX2 improves upon ToX in almost every regard. The game includes many of the Tales' series usual sidequests that didn't make the cut in ToX (swimsuits for example), while improving the aspects of the game that ToX did include, but half-*****. I'm still too early in the game to confirm any of this, but if it's true, I wouldn't mind the game being slightly shorter.

The character episodes do a good job extending the game if you got to them. I had a lot of fun with them since they were good breaks between the main chapters that you could do them whenever.

 

[Aninymouse]

@ Minato , I goofed on Cress, huh? It's been years since I last played it. I guess I was remembering wrong. So is the silent protagonist thing a first for Tales in ToX2?

 

[.Alone]

@ Minato , I goofed on Cress, huh? It's been years since I last played it. I guess I was remembering wrong. So is the silent protagonist thing a first for Tales in ToX2?

I've played every English game released, save for Phantasia, and it's the first instance of a silent protagonist that I've seen. Though, in the grade shop, you do have the option to purchase what is essentially Ludger's voice, so that your playthrough will include audio for his voice, rather than the silence.

 

[Minato]

@ Minato , I goofed on Cress, huh? It's been years since I last played it. I guess I was remembering wrong. So is the silent protagonist thing a first for Tales in ToX2?

Yeah, Cress spoke. But he was pretty much either generic or angry for revenge, so it wasn't much personality otherwise lol

 

[Jae]

I pre-ordered the Collector's Edition for my relative, I'll probably be playing the game with him as soon as the package comes in the mail.

It's kind of jarring to have a silent protagonist in a game full of voices this time around, but hey, it worked for series like Shin Megami Tensei and Persona.

 

[Aninymouse]

I've played every English game released, save for Phantasia, and it's the first instance of a silent protagonist that I've seen. Though, in the grade shop, you do have the option to purchase what is essentially Ludger's voice, so that your playthrough will include audio for his voice, rather than the silence.

I know what you're saying is true about his voice, but I can't believe they did that. It just seems so stupid. Why should it even be an option? Either include his voice or don't.

In Symphonia, who did you guys enjoy playing the most? I've played all the characters at one point or another, and I think my top picks are Raine (4th), Sheena (3rd), Lloyd (2nd) and Zelos (1st). Raine is a lot of fun, especially if you do the tech glitch, since you always have a spell to cast. Keep you busy and you feel a lot more tension than with Genis, since the fate of the party rests in your hands all the more as the healer/supporter. Sheena is fast and effective, but repetitive. Picking your own summon spirit is pretty satisfying, though. Lloyd is just very well done as a main character: tons of tech options, multiple EX configurations, fast, powerful. Zelos is my favorite, though, since the EX choices are much, much more pronounced, and you get to do a bit of everything. Not only do you get to heal and do the flurry of melee attacks, but you can also chain techs in any order, or be a spellcaster, or (my personal favorite) use spell charge and aerial spell to do super huge combos with magic AND techs.

Genis is fun but kind of boring. Regal is cool, and I like him a lot as a character (!), but he's just so unweildly in combat. I think they didn't do such a hot job on him until the PS2 revisions. Kratos is the same as Zelos, but I just like Zelos better. Presea with Glory is just... Too easy. Might charge and the related EX skills aren't worth it unless you have the PS2/3 version. Colette. I love Colette. She's adorable. Playing as her is the most awkward thing, by far, unless you're just doing straight up angel spells.

 

[.Alone]

In Symphonia, who did you guys enjoy playing the most?

Symphonia I was fairly limited I feel like. I really only played as Lloyd, Kratos, and Zelos. I was able to play as Presea, and I was decent with Regal, but I hardly ever played as them two. Graces f and Xillia I can pretty much play as any party member, so battles in those two games are a lot more interesting. Pascal in particular is a very fun character to play as.

 

[Minato]

Symphonia's battle system didn't age that well, so characters felt way too limited. Besides Lloyd, it was Presea or Kratos/Zelos.

 

[KuroganeHammer]

wait is it out

I need this

brb sinking money into express postage and game

 

[.Alone]

wait is it out

I need this

brb sinking money into express postage and game

It was released today.

 

[KuroganeHammer]

i went to jb hifi and they don't have it

Anyone know any online retailers selling it? The only one on playasia is an English one from Asia region which I am suspicious of.

 

[Minato]

wait is it out

I'm pretty sure this is the reaction to 80 percent of the people who planned on getting ToX2 lol

I don't know why, but the release date really flew by.

 

[Ussi]

Only char i never got good at was Regal..

Combos felt very limited compared to Vesperia's infinite combos (lol)

I played Genis mainly for INDIGNATION JUDGEMENT!

 

[.Alone]

i went to jb hifi and they don't have it

Anyone know any online retailers selling it? The only one on playasia is an English one from Asia region which I am suspicious of.

Is Amazon out? I know they had a bunch. Also, I know you were able to order if off of Namco's website before release..so I would imagine you could still buy it straight from them.

 

[Rutger]

Alvin you god. I was starting to think that I wasn't going to be able to beat the Helioborg boss on hard, but you pulled through for me. I ended up having an easier time stunning the boss than with Ludger's guns and artes, so I was getting better damage. It still took a few tries.
I also had the +30% def food, it was all I had and the game wouldn't let me go back for anything else.

Was it worth it? Probably not, but I did it damn it!

I also take back what I said about Ludger's guns not being as fun, weapon switch combos are cool.

 

[.Alone]

Alvin you god. I was starting to think that I wasn't going to be able to beat the Helioborg boss on hard, but you pulled through for me. I ended up having an easier time stunning the boss than with Ludger's guns and artes, so I was getting better damage. It still took a few tries.
I also had the +30% def food, it was all I had and the game wouldn't let me go back for anything else.

Was it worth it? Probably not, but I did it damn it!

I also take back what I said about Ludger's guns not being as fun, weapon switch combos are cool.

That boss was a freaking bear. I was level 11 when I first got there, and he was crushing my team in 15 seconds. I left, leveled up to 12, and tried several more times. The key for me was keeping Elize and Jude in the back to heal, while Ludger and Alvin bombarded the boss with their guns. Even then, that double body slam move he likes to use killed me several times. It didn't help that I only had 2 life bottles and a couple of apple gels.

I too was on hard mode.

 

[Malkior7]

i hate the stupid debt they put on you I'm also not fond of the new allium orb thing

 

[.Alone]

I don't mind the debt thing, because it's just so easy making money in this game. The only thing I don't like about it is how whenever you have more money than your next payment amount, that girl immediately calls you up and tells you to pay up. That gets annoying.

As for the allium orb, I feel that it is more useful than the lilium orb, but the lilium orb is more fun.

 

[Minato]

I like Allium Orb more. Allium Orb is true freedom while Lilium was was more of an illusion of freedom.

Plus it was nice that you could grind outside of battles with it too.

 

[.Alone]

I like Allium Orb more. Allium Orb is true freedom while Lilium was was more of an illusion of freedom.

Plus it was need that you could grind outside of battles with it too.

Yeah that's one thing I didn't like about the lilium orb, was that it could be maxed out if you got to the max level, so if that is your plan, it really didn't make a HUGE difference what you unlocked for it.

That said, if they decided to make the lilium orb larger so that it was impossible to maximize it, that could have proven more interesting. You would need to be a lot more tactful with what areas of the orb you choose to unlock.

 

[.Alone]

The game has been out for a week now, for those of you that have it, how are you enjoying it?

I'm believe I'm in chapter 10 at the moment, if not then chapter 11, and the story has me very interested right now. It is indeed dark, the combat is fast and addictive, I'm really starting to enjoy allium orbs now that I've acquired some good ones, and I'm enjoying the character interactions. Before the game was released, I sort of figured Gaius and Muzet would just be added in at the last minute and not really fit in well with the supporting cast, but I was wrong. They've been given new development and appropriate personalities that really flesh out their Xillia counterparts.

 

[SSBMLahti]

There's a dedicated Tales thread hiding somewhere in the Light House. We should DEFINITELY be using that.

Here it is: http://smashboards.com/threads/the-tales-of-series.296962/

Sorry to interrupt the Xillia 2 conversation by the way

I purchased the collector's edition, but I haven't had a chance to play the game because I still have two more playthroughs of Tales of Symphonia Chronicles to do to get that 100% perfect save file