Tales of Berseria | Official Thread

[Scruffington]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5a/Tales_of_Berseria_cover.jpg


Release Date
----------------

JP: August 18, 2016

NA: January 24, 2017
EU: January 27, 2017





The latest installment in the Tales series has finally been released in the West. It currently holds a score of 78 on Metacritic.

Has anyone had a chance to play this yet? I'm planning on picking it up sometime soon. I'm in the minority that loved Tales of Zestiria, and from what I've heard everyone really seems to enjoy Berseria.

[Mirage]

I haven't, but I imagine I'll buy it pretty soon, probably within a few weeks.

[Fox]

I have it! I was wondering how soon I would as I'm playing Gravity Rush atm, but I've been looking forward to Beseria and a friend of mine said "I played it last night and it's really good" so I couldn't resist.

Only half an hour in so far, in the little starting area. Already it has a lot of charm though. FAIR WARNING it has changed the control scheme from previous Tales games, so get ready for your muscle memory to screw you over! I tried changing them back but due to the way it maps artes to the face buttons (the battle system does need this) I couldn't avoid some annoying conflicts. So now I'm getting used to the way the game does things.

Production values feel like they've made a nice jump since Xillia and Zestiria. It's also nice that they include the choice of language; I ended up choosing Japanese but the reviews seem to suggest the English voices are perfectly good

[Spuuky]

I've never played a Tales game. Would this be the one to get?

[Fox]

I've never played a Tales game. Would this be the one to get?

Too early to say so far. Xillia is the one I would most recommend to newbies

[Mirage]

As would I.

[Scruffington]

Production values feel like they've made a nice jump since Xillia and Zestiria. It's also nice that they include the choice of language; I ended up choosing Japanese but the reviews seem to suggest the English voices are perfectly good

Glad to hear that dual audio is back from Zestiria. That game was made infinitely better with the option for JP voices.


I've never played a Tales game. Would this be the one to get?

I agree with everyone else about Xillia. It's the first Tales game I actually completed. I've played Abyss and Graces in the past, but never made it far.

[Laddy]

I actually believe you're missing out on a lot of stuff with the Tales dubs, since they're generally excellent and do a good job of making a lot of the nuance and humor non-native speakers will miss work but eh; that's just me.

Also I haven't played it yet though I intend to. I kinda despise Velvet's Reaper-esque outfit though. I mean, she's so inconspicuous looking!

[Fynn]

A bit off-topic, but the whole "sub vs dub" discussion that keeps cropping up really makes me wonder how many original-VA purists actually played any of The Witcher games with the Polish VA :p

[Formalhaut]

Also slightly off-topic, but when me and and Mr. Carny had 'wuxia' film week, I absolutely preferred watching it with subtitles as opposed to a poor dub.

On this topic, we also play Samurai Warriors 4 which only has Japanese voice-work (with English text) and I think I prefer it, in all honesty. For other games though, I'm not so sure. I was very happy with the English voice acting in Tales of Xillia, for example.

[Laddy]

There's no weaboos for Poland, Fynn. :(

[Fynn]

There's no weaboos for Poland, Fynn. :(

Well that needs to change!

If you ever do play them, I highly recommend the Polish voices since they're pretty excellent. Plus, when do you ever get the chance to listen to the language?

[Formalhaut]

If you ever do play them, I highly recommend the Polish voices since they're pretty excellent. Plus, when do you ever get the chance to listen to the language?

Pretty much never, to be honest. Isn't the first Witcher game PC only?

[Fynn]

It is.

You do know wikipedia is a thing that exists, right?

[Laddy]

The Witcher's dub is too high quality, though, for me to miss out on tbh.

[Formalhaut]

It is.

You do know wikipedia is a thing that exists, right?

Well, maybe I thought my friends would also know the answer. And I prefer hearing answers from people I know.

Clearly, that's a mistake.

[Fox]

For the record, I have no issues with a good dub in games! I always watch anime subbed, but games go either way depending on the quality and if I desperately want to study or not. So Xillia, for example, I am super happy to have played in English because I absolutely adore Minae Noji's performance as Milla. And Vesperia just wouldn't be the same without Troy Baker and Michelle Ruff. I like to find examples of the major performances ahead of time and then make the call.

Man, now I've mentioned Michelle Ruff I need my Rita Mordio fix. I sure hope you have a character of that caliber, Berseria!

[Fynn]

Ah, well, when you're learning a language that is certainly a great tool!

[Formalhaut]

I definitely attach myself to good dubbing. I can't think of Kanji from Persona 4 without thinking of Troy Baker or Matthew Mercer.

[Fynn]

It's funny how indistinguishable they are from each other

[Pumpkin]

This is actually my reward for finishing most of my goals this month. EXCITTTEEEEE

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

Not interested. Tales, IMO, has never been good since Symphonia.

[Fox]

Not interested. Tales, IMO, has never been good since Symphonia.

What was the last one you played? I much prefer both Vesperia and Xillia to Symphonia (which was good for its time but has aged terribly).

The main plot has now kicked off in Berseria. I AM SO INTO THIS RIGHT NOW. Velvet is great!!!

[Scruffington]

Just picked the game up. Looking forward to spending the next week or so playing through this. The opening theme is incredible.

[Fox]

Just picked the game up. Looking forward to spending the next week or so playing through this. The opening theme is incredible.

I love how it starts off so gently and you're like "Oh is this it?" and then suddenly HOLY TROUT IT'S VELVET TIME

[Mirage]

I thought Vesperia was terrible, except for the combat. Same for Graces.

Xillia and Xillia 2 are good.

[Fox]

I thought Vesperia was terrible, except for the combat.


Huh, TIL it's possible to dislike Vesperia. I'm doubly surprised the only thing you like is the combat, which I find exceedingly slow and unresponsive. I mean it's tolerable but it's not one of my Vesperia highlights.

Berseria continues to be awesome so far. It... it could end up being the best one. My most significant criticism so far is the field/dungeon designs are fairly bland compared to the intricate locations that existed pre-Xillia... although I will take bland over infuriating block pushing puzzles any day of the week THANK YOU VERY MUCH GRACES F

[Scruffington]

I love how it starts off so gently and you're like "Oh is this it?" and then suddenly HOLY TROUT IT'S VELVET TIME

Totally. I thought Zestiria had a great opening, but man Berseria's is on a whole different level.

I'm not even two hours in and I'm already tempted to call Berseria the best Tales game I've played. Seriously good so far.

[Fox]

I love how it starts off so gently and you're like "Oh is this it?" and then suddenly HOLY TROUT IT'S VELVET TIME

Totally. I thought Zestiria had a great opening, but man Berseria's is on a whole different level.


The full version of the OP (BURN by Flow) is, somehow, even better. It's an incredibly creative song even without Ufotable's great animation. I went and bought it from Amazon (along with Kaze no Uta from the "Zestiria the X" anime) because... damn.

[Mirage]

I thought Vesperia was terrible, except for the combat.


Huh, TIL it's possible to dislike Vesperia. I'm doubly surprised the only thing you like is the combat, which I find exceedingly slow and unresponsive. I mean it's tolerable but it's not one of my Vesperia highlights.

Berseria continues to be awesome so far. It... it could end up being the best one. My most significant criticism so far is the field/dungeon designs are fairly bland compared to the intricate locations that existed pre-Xillia... although I will take bland over infuriating block pushing puzzles any day of the week THANK YOU VERY MUCH GRACES F

The story is just so uninteresting and cliché.

[Formalhaut]

So this thread has kinda inspired me to finish Tales of Xillia. I may get Berseria eventually, but I do want to finish my first Tales game before even considering the new Tales game.

I'm not even sure why I stopped playing; maybe I got a new game that I was looking forward to? Well either way, I'm back and my God am I rusty. There's so many different Artes that Jude can use, all mapped to different button combinations, it's kinda intimidating. I'm finding myself having to bring up the Artes menu during combat just to remember what Arte is mappe to what. And that's just Jude - I'd think I'd collapsed if I started controlling different characters during battle.

[Fox]

NO-one ever controls different characters during battle in a Tales game, don't worry about it ;). I always preferred Milla to Jude both in terms of play style and character.

Stayed up too late on Berseria last night. Maaay be late for the dentist now. It's touch and go. Posting here while mt coffee cools down.

[Pumpkin]

I main Leia in Xillia and Jude when she's not around.

I GET BERSERIA TONIGHT :omgomg::omgomg::omgomg::omgomg:

[Formalhaut]

Well I played a bunch of Xillia yesterday and I've gotten better once again. I even defeated a Devil's Beast! I mean, sure, it was on the easy difficulty, but that thing had like, one move where it would one-hit K.O my party that are right next to it. Easy difficulty or not, that was scary. Thankfully Elize does a (mostly) good job of playing a keep-away game, and she was right on point with the healing. I was actually tempted to switch to her so I manually control heals, but I know that would not end well. Elize did a fine job as it was. Used like half my life bottles and a couple gels, though. Good thing I already obtained the gel abstainers skit.

I've started controlling Leia as well now, since her combat style is similar-ish to Jude, plus she has some buffs. She's very aerial focused though, like most of her martial artes send her into the air with the enemy. Are there any tips on aerial combat? I find myself just spamming the same arte over and over and sending her higher and higher into the air, which doesn't seem very finessed.

[Fox]

I never ever ever control anyone but the protagonist in these games. I get so used to how the main character handles that I don't even want to attempt trying to memorise anyone else's artes. I definitely preferred Milla over Jude in Xillia.

Been listening to BURN all day at work, so I'm pumped up to get back home and play again. Sorry, Gravity Rush, you're gonna have to wait a little longer!


I GET BERSERIA TONIGHT :omgomg::omgomg::omgomg::omgomg:

:omgomg::omgomg:

Let us know what you think!

[Pumpkin]

I kind of knock them in to the air with Leia and then wail on them with normals. Or just, whatever works at the time. She has some good non-arial arts and things as well. She's great for me because she's pretty quick and can be a back-up healer. I hate being the main healer (too much pressure) but I like doing back-up in case Jude or Elize are out of MP or whatever.

Other mains:
Graces: Sophie, Cheria
Abyss: Natalia, Guy
Vesperia: Judith, Rita
Symphonia: Sheena, Colette
Hearts: Kohaku, Kor
Zestiria: Rose, Lailah

I wonder who my mains will be in Berseria :omgomg:

Seriously, I am mega-pumped. I am doing a TON of school work today so I can have more Berseria time :omgomg:

[Scruffington]

Can't say enough good things about this game so far. The cast and JP voice acting in particular are seriously incredible.

Also, Magilou is hilarious. Easily one of my favorite characters. ACT. LIKE. A. DOVE.

[Pumpkin]

After a terrible prank by sharky, I got the game :omgomg: I just finished the cave in the snowy area, only two characters so far. I did actually have the betrayal character spoiled for me, but oh well :(

Thoughts so far:
-The story is very engaging, I want to see where it goes
-Not a character I've met yet that I don't like, we'll see if it continues. Tales usually does awesome characters
-Can definitely see some links to Zestiria. It seems almost like the Malak are similar to the Seraphs?
-I wish Seres was a perma-member. Her outfit is AMAZE
-Speaking of outfits, I got this mega-pack for like $10 and they are awesome! Now I have outfits to rotate out :jess:
-Unfortunately the game doesn't let me screenshot :nonono:
-Feels very Tales. Velvet reminds me so much of Milla. The voice, the look, the expressions
-I like that we get touches here and there of the "old" Velvet. Makes her feel more real
-I like the new system. It's similar enough to the other Tales systems that it doesn't feel alien or out of place, but new enough to be exciting
-The new specials system is awesome

Can't wait to play more :D

[Fox]

Can't say enough good things about this game so far. The cast and JP voice acting in particular are seriously incredible.

Also, Magilou is hilarious. Easily one of my favorite characters. ACT. LIKE. A. DOVE.

I'm getting better at recognising my Japanese voice actors. Magilou shows up and I'm like That's Ritsu from K-On I'm so happy!!

Played about 7 hours so far, it's been tough to find time due to work but it's the weekend now! I have racked up a few more criticisms but I'm still loving it.

[Pumpkin]

Also glad to see the return of Katz!

[Fox]

Also glad to see the return of Katz!

That was such an anti-climax! "Oh, what are these mysterious, dark, ominous-looking orbs floating around everywhere? Are they perhaps some form of currency to trade with mysterious demons, or can they be used for expanding my cursed powers?"

"NYAA! Unlock our chests and we'll give you funny hats! :mogumogu:"

[Pumpkin]

It was pretty awesome, you mean?

WHEN DO MAGILOU AND ELEANOR JOIN ME I HAVE CUTE OUTFITS FOR THEEEEEEMMMMMMM

[Scruffington]

I'm about ten hours in and I still don't think I'm that far along in terms of the main story. There are few games where I can actually enjoy fighting every single enemy and going to every single part of each area to collect everything I can.

This game really just gets so much right.

[Fox]

I'm about ten hours in and I still don't think I'm that far along in terms of the main story. There are few games where I can actually enjoy fighting every single enemy and going to every single part of each area to collect everything I can.

This game really just gets so much right.

Exactly the same here. I KNOW there are important characters that need to join me that haven't joined me/aren't fighting yet. I don't enjoy the combat as much as Xillia atm because it's harder to know exactly which artes I'm using. It's still fun though, it's like half Tales Of half DmC. I'm digging it. The exploration stuff is pretty good; this is three games worth of iteration from the bland fields of Xillia. It's amazing how they're almost functionally identical in Berseria but feel so much more alive and interesting.

Also I kinda like the equipment system where you melt down all your dupes to enhance your gear, but it is a bit messy and sometimes can be time consuming for little reward. It's a cool concept but I don't think it's as well thought through as Xillia's shop investment system. Also I could do with a lilium orb / sphere grid kinda thing.

That is a kick ass avatar/sig combo you are rolling there Scruff.

[Scruffington]

Exactly the same here. I KNOW there are important characters that need to join me that haven't joined me/aren't fighting yet. I don't enjoy the combat as much as Xillia atm because it's harder to know exactly which artes I'm using. It's still fun though, it's like half Tales Of half DmC. I'm digging it. The exploration stuff is pretty good; this is three games worth of iteration from the bland fields of Xillia. It's amazing how they're almost functionally identical in Berseria but feel so much more alive and interesting.

Also I kinda like the equipment system where you melt down all your dupes to enhance your gear, but it is a bit messy and sometimes can be time consuming for little reward. It's a cool concept but I don't think it's as well thought through as Xillia's shop investment system. Also I could do with a lilium orb / sphere grid kinda thing.

That is a kick ass avatar/sig combo you are rolling there Scruff.

I do agree that the combat is really good in Xillia, but I still think that the Therion mode in this game helps make the combat really good. And I think what makes the areas so interesting in this game are how they look visually better, there's great music playing and there's lots to see and do. There are almost always items to collect because they constantly reset (aside from chests).

The equipment system is pretty similar to Zestiria's, but so far it seems more simplified and easy to use. About the Lilium Orb system...I actually totally just realized that this game doesn't have one like that. Although I definitely do miss that system, I think the game is fine without it.

Thanks. :)

[Pumpkin]

I kinda like the FFIX esque ability system, but it could use a bit more, yeah.

I cannot put this game down, I am hooked! Also about 10 hours in. Doing some "errands"

[Fox]

I think you've already overtaken me Pumpkin, I've been going really slow for some reason! Usually I rush through the first playthrough at the speed of light, but I'm kinda taking some time in every location to breath it all in.


I kinda like the FFIX esque ability system, but it could use a bit more, yeah.

Hehe, my brain immediately went into FFIX mode when I saw it. The rules of "Don't equip the better equipment until you have learned the ability" and "equip everyone with every shared item" are in full effect.

[Pumpkin]

YAAASSS ONLY ONE CHARACTER LEFT

Gosh I am binging this game. I'm trying to take my time but I just want to keep playing and keep goingggg

Once I have all party members in all cute outfits, I'll probably slow down. Plus I have school Monday. Yeah >.>

[Fox]

YOU GUYS

I found a guard at the Cathedral wearing a tie over his armour. I LOVE THIS GUY

71652

That's not cathedral guard uniform or anything either as he's the only one wearing it. He just wants to be extra smart.

[Pumpkin]

You'll find out why he's wearing that soon :3

HOW COME YOU CAN SCREENCAP, I WANT TO SCREENCAP. Playing it on PC maybe?

[Fox]

You'll find out why he's wearing that soon :3

HOW COME YOU CAN SCREENCAP, I WANT TO SCREENCAP. Playing it on PC maybe?

Ooooh there's story behind it? Haha... I love this game so much. I've spent the last two hours just wandering around Loegres, only making small inroads to the story, talking to everyone and collecting everything. Its weird for me not to be in a hurry, usually I'm like "I wan't to complete this because I have so many games on my backlog!" With Berseria I'm not worried about that, I'm just savoring it.

Yeah, I'm playing on PC. F12 takes a screenshot via steam, and failing that I have FRAPS as well. It's baffling why they would disable it on PS4 :shrug:

[Scruffington]

You'll find out why he's wearing that soon :3

HOW COME YOU CAN SCREENCAP, I WANT TO SCREENCAP. Playing it on PC maybe?

Is that where you're at? I'm just after that part, where you're in the tunnel on your way to assassinate some dude . That's where I'll be picking up from now. :p

[Fox]

The only reason I do wanna play a bit faster is so that I can start clicking those spoiler tags and joining in :ohdear:

[Mirage]

You'll find out why he's wearing that soon :3

HOW COME YOU CAN SCREENCAP, I WANT TO SCREENCAP. Playing it on PC maybe?

You can screencap with the share button on PS4.

[Pumpkin]

You'll find out why he's wearing that soon :3

HOW COME YOU CAN SCREENCAP, I WANT TO SCREENCAP. Playing it on PC maybe?

You can screencap with the share button on PS4.

It won't let me with this game. It's ~disabled~

I'm now at the part where we just met Zaveid and need to disable some barriers

[Fox]

I'm doing some backtracking quests at the moment and it may be the first time I've ever said "Go back to a place I've already been to? Gladly! That sounds like fun!"

FFXV should look at Berseria and feel ashamed how dead its locations feel in comparison.

[Scruffington]

FFXV should look at Berseria and feel ashamed how dead its locations feel in comparison.

FFXV should look at nearly everything Berseria does and feel ashamed.

The gripes that I have with this game (lack of Lilium Orb system, lots of backtracking) are so minor compared to the glaring flaws of XV. Berseria feels like a Tales game that feels totally confident that it's a Tales game. XV, by comparison, feels like a game without an identity that's trying to be something it's not.

[Fox]

Small thing that turned into a big thing: I always have the 'player 2' targeting stuff visible. Why is that? Oh right, the steering wheel I have plugged in for racing games is being detected as a secondary input. No worries, I can disable player 2's controller entirely in the options menu.

PROBLEM 1: Now it think I'm holding 'down' on my Xbox controller at all times. ^^;

Oh well, I've had problems like this before. Rebooting the game usually sorts it out.

PROBLEM 2: Rebooting the game doesn't sort it out. The main menu works OK but once I load my quick save it all breaks again.

OK well, a PC reboot tends to fix these issues when a game reboot does not.

PROBLEM 3: My PC no longer boots past the bios. :eek:

WHAT...THE...HELL. Half an hour of panic, faffing about and resetting BIOS settings later, I manage to get back into Windows. I boot the game... AND IT'S STILL BORKED. So I go into the options and re-enable the steering wheel for player 2.

Everything is fine now. :monster:

[Mirage]

You'll find out why he's wearing that soon :3

HOW COME YOU CAN SCREENCAP, I WANT TO SCREENCAP. Playing it on PC maybe?

You can screencap with the share button on PS4.

It won't let me with this game. It's ~disabled~

I'm now at the part where we just met Zaveid and need to disable some barriers

wow, seriously? that's the dumbest shit ever. almost don't want to buy the game now

[Fox]

You'll find out why he's wearing that soon :3

HOW COME YOU CAN SCREENCAP, I WANT TO SCREENCAP. Playing it on PC maybe?

You can screencap with the share button on PS4.

It won't let me with this game. It's ~disabled~

I'm now at the part where we just met Zaveid and need to disable some barriers

wow, seriously? that's the dumbest trout ever. almost don't want to buy the game now

FFXV infuriated me because at the start of what were supposed to be the biggest, most emotional scenes in the game (like, I dunno, the ending) I would get a massive pop up saying RECORDING DISABLED FOR THIS SCENE. Great. Thanks, SE/Sony. Never heard of an entire game being locked from the share function though. I can't imagine what the reasoning would be for that. Especially when you have all the PC players with a free reign, so it's not like you're protecting people from spoilers or something.

[Pumpkin]

I GOT ALL OF MY CHARACTERSSSSS!!!!!

Imma start slowing down now, doing some grinding and whatever. Plus school tomorrow eheh

[Fox]

I GOT ALL OF MY CHARACTERSSSSS!!!!!

Imma start slowing down now, doing some grinding and whatever. Plus school tomorrow eheh

Have you dressed them up as cute as you were hoping to?

[Pumpkin]

YES but then I saw that Japan has even more cute outfits like cute pirates and now I'm sad again :(

BUT YES CUTENESS

[Mirage]

You'll find out why he's wearing that soon :3

HOW COME YOU CAN SCREENCAP, I WANT TO SCREENCAP. Playing it on PC maybe?

You can screencap with the share button on PS4.

It won't let me with this game. It's ~disabled~

I'm now at the part where we just met Zaveid and need to disable some barriers

wow, seriously? that's the dumbest trout ever. almost don't want to buy the game now

FFXV infuriated me because at the start of what were supposed to be the biggest, most emotional scenes in the game (like, I dunno, the ending) I would get a massive pop up saying RECORDING DISABLED FOR THIS SCENE. Great. Thanks, SE/Sony. Never heard of an entire game being locked from the share function though. I can't imagine what the reasoning would be for that. Especially when you have all the PC players with a free reign, so it's not like you're protecting people from spoilers or something.

I can't imagine it being anything other than old wrinkly guys not liking progress, and also not really wanting to spend the resources on making screenshotting on a PC impossible because that's an impossible task.

[krissy]

phantasia was really good

and yeah witcher 3 has great polish vo

[Scruffington]

Currently at the Fens of Nog. I have just over 17 hours played, yet I don't think I'm anywhere near finishing the game.

I'm hoping to be able to put in a ton of time and finish it by the end of the week.

[Fox]

I have 14 hours of play time, and I'm still missing a party member! OH I did just discover the 'walk' button though I'm sure that'll be handy.

Also I can now swap people in and out of battle. It's a cool mechanic, I like how they've tied it into combos, but it's gonna be weird controlling someone other than Velvet sometimes! Or I could just use it on all the AI characters but that seems less fun somehow.

[Pumpkin]

Currently at the Fens of Nog. I have just over 17 hours played, yet I don't think I'm anywhere near finishing the game.

I'm hoping to be able to put in a ton of time and finish it by the end of the week.

Around there myself! Been taking it slower now and enjoying the game.

I love the relationship between the three dudes. It's like a little misfit family :flirt:

ALSO THERE ARE NEW DLC OUTFITS GUYYYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[Scruffington]

I think I just figured something out about one of Berseria's characters. There's really only two minor hints I have to go off of, but I'm almost certain I'm right.

Tales of Zestiria/Berseria spoilers: Pretty sure that Eizen is Edna's brother.

Awesome if it turns out to be true.

[Pumpkin]

Oh yeah it's very clearly true. His name was mentioned in Zestiria and everything :p I don't think it was supposed to be a secret

[Scruffington]

Oh yeah it's very clearly true. His name was mentioned in Zestiria and everything :p I don't think it was supposed to be a secret

I guess I just forgot. Now that I've looked back, I see that Edna mentioned her brother's name multiple times, and you can see the name when you fight the dragon in Zestiria. But for whatever reason I totally forgot his name.

Either way, it's a super cool connection and has me really excited about this game.

[Pumpkin]

I got to an area where I could take screens so I will share cute pics with you guises tomorrow!

[Pumpkin]

OUTFITSSSS

Note: Some outfits are modified by preference. Meaning these aren't necessarily the hairstyles/accessories that go with the outfit originally!


http://i.imgur.com/waI2g66.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/BfFYRd4.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/qUeE6Nv.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/Br7n4dM.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/wPLAgUu.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/yRSMq3d.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/mlIl4Is.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/A31mrCp.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/n4fZHf1.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/FZ5EknV.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/1OnbbQJ.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/revZCVh.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/37YgOYZ.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/Z4nfXEK.jpg?1

And just a group shot!

http://i.imgur.com/NG2lBn2.jpg?1

[Scruffington]

OUTFITSSSS

Magilou has the best outfits. :p

I've made it up to the Beach area (which is one of my favorites in the game so far). Had to take a break, but I plan to devote almost all of my entire weekend to this game. Hopefully I can beat it too.

[Fox]

Nice outfits Pumpkin! I especially like Kunochi Velvet!

I haven't really had a chance to play the last couple of days... same with Scruff though; weekend is approaching and I will set fire to anyone who gets in between me and Berseria xD

[Formalhaut]

Wierd that the game is letting you take photos now.

I think my favourite outfit is 'Another Eleanor'. I like the formal black coat!

[Pumpkin]

I entered one spot where I could, it was like a side area thing, but I still can't take them anywhere else >_>

ALSO apparently there will be new DLC every week.






There goes my money

[Scruffington]

Finished up the events at Palamides last night.

Didn't expect the plot to get that heavy. A girl was turned into a daemon by the Abbey and ate her own mother. Wow.

[Fox]

Much as I am loving this game some of the dungeon design is... um... poor. In fact most of the dungeon design is pretty bad.

'Use a switch to open a door somewhere' is nothing new to games. Tomb Raider, Uncharted, Resident Evil are all very famous for that being the foundation of their puzzles. But here I have a sealed area and a switch right outside it. I flip the switch, the seal goes away.

Eizen: "Must be part of their security system".

If I were designing a security system I would put all the door switches on the inside of the gate. Just a thought. Tomb Raider et al get away with it because they hide their switches away in difficult to reach areas and behind puzzles. It creates some interesting gameplay. Here... not so much. The most elaborate it ever gets is having to walk to the other side of the room to press the 'open door' button.

[Pumpkin]

I am very much slowing down so I can HOPEFULLY get my favourite DLC set before I finish the game

It's hard though ;__;

[Fox]

FULL PARTY GET!

I feel so bad for Eleanor. The Abbey's evil. My team is full of ruthless killers. She's the only kind-hearted person involved in this whole mess!

[Pumpkin]

MY FAVOURITE SETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SO MUCH MORE HYPEEEEEEEE

[Scruffington]

I think I'm close to the end of the game now. Just left the Earthpulse.

This game's story and characters are incredible. Easily the best RPG I've played in a long time, probably since The Witcher 3. Have to commend Namco for their emotional storytelling and having such a unique and "real" main character.

[Shoden]

I've not long since finished the game, I'm on NG+ right now as I missed a fair chunk of the game in side quests I feel but even so the main story is absolute fantastic. Game as a whole is probably one of the best RPGs I've played and easily makes up for the lack of bite that Zestiria had! Loved the cast and the interactions between them all throughout the entire game.

[Scruffington]

Finally beat the game.

I'll be writing a full review this weekend, but man. Easily one of the best JRPGs I've played this decade. Maybe even the best one I've played since Final Fantasy XIII seven years ago. Fantastic characters and story.

[Fox]

I'm still plodding along... so annoyed I was ill over the weekend so couldn't get in the mood to play.

Steam says I have 34 hours so far. I've broken it down: 20 hours of actual play time. 4 hours of alt-tabbing whilst paused. 10 hours watching that GLORIOUS OP

[Pumpkin]

I just finished the section where you go back to Velvet's hometown. Gosh those feels :( Also the town right before that with all of the stairs is my fav so far, would so live there.

I'll share some more outfits with you guys soon!

So who are/were you guys maining? I use Eleanor with Velvet second. The comp can't use Velvet, unfortunately. She keeps draining all of her life -_-

[Scruffington]

So who are/were you guys maining? I use Eleanor with Velvet second. The comp can't use Velvet, unfortunately. She keeps draining all of her life -_-

My main party was Velvet, Eizen and Rokurou with Magilou and Eleanor being changed constantly as the fourth member. Laphicet is probably my least used, but since I'm on NG+ I've been using him more. Him and Magilou are great for clearing out tons of mobs.

Currently going through the bonus dungeon right now.

[Pumpkin]

Are you guys ready for MORE OUTFITS?!?!

So for the first one, I let sharky pick the outfits and he ingeniously stumbled upon hangover Velvet. Normal Velvet = Badass, quest for revenge


http://i.imgur.com/LSk3ZWW.jpg?1

Had a bit too much to drink and just wants to get some waffles.

Speaking of Velvet, she got a new hairdo which you will quickly see that I love.


http://i.imgur.com/EimzB7j.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/JhRM1Si.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/aWmLVfp.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/BO04lIc.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/7pNcklF.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/9QVnx2b.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/Unt8aGQ.jpg?1

AND NOW FOR MY FAV NEW OUTFIT AND FAV HAIRSTYLE IN THE WHOLE GAME

http://i.imgur.com/ubtwO1u.jpg?1

[Scruffington]

Those Pirate Velvet and Eizen costumes look pretty good. :P

[Fox]

Pumpkin: I live for your dress up posts. I truly do

[Pumpkin]

I'm glad to be of service xD

[Scruffington]

Looks like I seriously underestimated just how long this Platinum Trophy would take.

"A Solid B" is by far the most time consuming trophy in the game. Probably one of the most lengthy trophies I've ever had to grind for, honestly. I was hoping to be finished with the 100% today, but man..looks like I still have a ways to go.

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

I watched my friend play and personally, despite being only 1/10 of the budget for FFXV, it's fundamentally a better RPG.

[Fox]

I watched my friend play and personally, despite being only 1/10 of the budget for FFXV, it's fundamentally a better RPG.

Yup, I agree with that wholeheartedly. It also has a much better cast of characters which shouldn't be the case as that's supposedly what XV sacrificed everything else in order to focus on.

[Pumpkin]

Dang Laphicet went badass all of a sudden

[sharkythesharkdogg]

Hangover Velvet is best Velvet. She needs a purse dog.

[Scruffington]

Finally got the Platinum Trophy. Now I can finally move onto writing my review.

I think after this, I'm going to work on my reviews before I finish the Platinum trophies for games. Should have my review finished tomorrow or Thursday.

[Scruffington]

Here is my full review of Berseria (https://scruffingtonsgameblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/01/tales-of-berseria-review/).

Some feedback and critique would be appreciated. This is my first review of a game. :)

[Formalhaut]

Oh, I've got a question for you Tales fans: after I've finished Tales of Xillia, is there any recommendation as to which Tales game to play next? Should it be Zesteria, or Berseria, or even one of the earlier ones?

[Scruffington]

Oh, I've got a question for you Tales fans: after I've finished Tales of Xillia, is there any recommendation as to which Tales game to play next? Should it be Zesteria, or Berseria, or even one of the earlier ones?

The next game is Xillia 2, but I honestly couldn't stand playing it for more than a few hours.

I'd recommend Zestiria as it's the next game. I actually really enjoyed it too, although a lot of people felt differently.

[Fox]

Oh, I've got a question for you Tales fans: after I've finished Tales of Xillia, is there any recommendation as to which Tales game to play next? Should it be Zesteria, or Berseria, or even one of the earlier ones?

Can you live with a silent protagonist (who should never have been a silent protagonist in a million years)? If yes, play Xillia 2, it follows on from and builds nicely upon Xillia 1.

Then I would say go for Vesperia if you possibly can, because it'll be your last chance before Berseria makes it feel a bit too archaic.

Then play Berseria. Skip Zestiria entirely. Maybe you'll like it, maybe not, but I would say it is the modern Tales Of game that has the highest probability of putting you off the series. It's like the FFXIII of Tales.

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

Symphonia is the best. Although it's the last one I actually played.

[Scruffington]

Then play Berseria. Skip Zestiria entirely. Maybe you'll like it, maybe not, but I would say it is the modern Tales Of game that has the highest probability of putting you off the series. It's like the FFXIII of Tales.

Totally disagree about Zestiria. That game is super underrated.

Berseria is also a prequel to Zestiria, and playing through Zestiria first will make you appreciate Berseria even more.

[Formalhaut]

Oh, I've got a question for you Tales fans: after I've finished Tales of Xillia, is there any recommendation as to which Tales game to play next? Should it be Zesteria, or Berseria, or even one of the earlier ones?

Can you live with a silent protagonist (who should never have been a silent protagonist in a million years)? If yes, play Xillia 2, it follows on from and builds nicely upon Xillia 1.

Then I would say go for Vesperia if you possibly can, because it'll be your last chance before Berseria makes it feel a bit too archaic.

Then play Berseria. Skip Zestiria entirely. Maybe you'll like it, maybe not, but I would say it is the modern Tales Of game that has the highest probability of putting you off the series. It's like the FFXIII of Tales.

Hey, I liked FFXIII! :p

But in all seriousness, what about Zesteria was iffy? Was it the characters, or the plot?

I didn't know Xillia 2 had a silent protagonist. That seems strange, but not a deal-breaker. I suppose the good thing with Vesperia is that it is probably rather cheap at this point. And I do want to play a Tales game in-between Xillia and Xillia 2 so I'm not constantly in Xillia-world.

[Fox]

Hey, I liked FFXIII! :p



It's cool, nobody's perfect, but you take my point I hope :p


But in all seriousness, what about Zesteria was iffy? Was it the characters, or the plot?

Yup. And the world. It was all just fairly bland, characters weren't particularly compelling, plot wasn't particularly gripping. It's hard to really put my finger on it, but the entire game just felt like a bit of a chore.


I didn't know Xillia 2 had a silent protagonist. That seems strange, but not a deal-breaker.

It does come close, I will say that. I'm not a silent protagonist fan at the best of times but this (along with Xenoblade X) is one of the worst examples of recent years. But yeah, I got through it. If that doesn't break you in the first hour then you'll have a pretty good time with Xillia 2.

[Formalhaut]

This all reminds me of the fact that Pumpkin mognetted me a very nice list of all the Tales games and her thoughts on them when she asked me what Tales game I wanted her to gift me. I should probably find that again at some point!

[Pumpkin]

I really liked Zestiria BUT I wouldn't say it was up to the usual Tales standard. The thing is, the Tales series has really high standards to me. I was meh on Legendia but every single other Tales game I've played has impressed me and left me satisfied and pleased.

So Zestiria isn't as good as the others BUT to me, it's still a good game.

Here's a quick refresher for you of the one's I have played:

Symphonia - GameCube, explores the "chosen one" trope and how that would actually affect a person and take their toll on them. Excellent characters, good development, interesting plot, good world. Terribly clunky gameplay. It started the "modern" Tales gameplay style, which was only recently changed with Berseria so it is VERY rough around the edges. But to me it had that classic, epic fantasy adventure vibe and I loved it.

Abyss - PlayStation 2, explores the "destiny" trope and what it means for people when their whole lives are laid out by fate. Great story, good world, some super interesting and well developed characters, and a really strong cast of antagonists. The gameplay is, again, kind of clunky and the intricacies of the battle system are very convoluted.

Vesperia - Xbox 360, starts out as a story exploring vigilante justice and whether change should be approached through radical action or slow progress from the inside. Kind of goes in to an environmentalist thing later on. Great characters, beautiful world, good cast of supporting characters as well. The battle system in this one is also a bit overly complicated though.

Hearts R - PlayStation Vita, a story that explores the different aspects of our emotions and how they all, good and bad, affect who we are. It also explores not letting those emotions control us but rather using them to do good. It had a really good romance that took center stage much more than in most Tales games and it was very quirky and fun. The characters on the whole were a bit forgettable though.

Graces f - PlayStation 3, this one is a pretty straightforward RPG story about the power of friendship and all of that, which is a heavy focus in the game. While still very good, I found it to be one of the weaker ones. The battle system in a bit different from the others, which some prefer and others don't (like myself), there's not as much trope exploration so much as just playing it straight, and while some characters are super strong, others kind of lag behind, including the main protagonist. It is very pretty though and has a lot of neat stuff to explore and do, just keep in mind it's kind of a different experience from the other Tales games.

Zestiria - PlayStation 3/4, this one also kind of explores being the "chosen one" and how being the hero of a story sets up expectations of you in other people's minds. There's some new stuff here like a more open world, although it feels somewhat forgettable, and there are two characters you HAVE to have in your party while you switch out the other two between the other 4 playable characters. While the story was lacking in some ways, like having a sympathetic and personal villain that the rest of the series excels at, it also has some amazingly subtle touches that help enhance the story, in my opinion. I also really like the characters and the humour.

Berseria - PlayStation 4, I am almost done!!!! This one kind of looks at Zestiria's story and tells the story from a different, almost opposite perspective. What if instead of being the hero, you were the selfish but not-all-bad antagonist that the Tales series does so well? It also explores the concept of the few vs the many, a mentality normally viewed as moral, and takes a deeper and more cynical look at it. The characters are very strong, the world is interesting, it's an interesting new take on the series, and while the battle system is new, it still feels very Tales-ish. Also, Eleanor and Rokurou are in love, I don't care what anyone says.

Like the others mentioned, Zesteria and Berseria are connected and I feel you gain a lot by playing both of them. You can play one without the other but they really serve to enhance each other and I think they're both worth playing. Yes, I think Berseria is better than Zestiria but as I said, I still find Zestiria to be a strong game and I've actually been itching to play it again after Berseria so I can link all of the details together.

Which one you would prefer is up to preference really, so that's why I gave you some good details to go off of. Berseria seems super well received, and Zestiria less so. Symphonia and Vesperia are generally regarded as the best and I love Symphonia although it hasn't aged the best. Abyss and Xillia are generally up there as well and are pretty positively regarded by the fan base.

Hopefully that helps!

[Scruffington]

Should I copy-paste my review here or make a separate thread for it?

[Formalhaut]

Thanks Pumpkin! Saves me a search of old messages.

I feel like regardless of Zesteria's flaws (who knows whether I'll end up agreeing?), I should probably play it before Berseria, so the links come through.

Graces/Hearts seem like they can be put off until much later. I'm reminded of Fox's point about Vesperia aging if I dive too deeply into the most modern installments, and the same is probably doubly true for Symphonia, though wasn't there a PS3 re-release a few years ago? Abyss also has a 3DS re-release. Wow, all these old games are getting ported versions.

Not sure which to pick as my inter-game between the Xillia duo, to be honest! I could go with Symphonia, because honestly Pumpkin's description of the trope deconstruction sounds interesting, and it is one of the earliest Tales game in the series, so any game after that will look polished in comparison, like Abyss.

Of course, this won't be for a while yet. I next have to do a Milla play-through of Xillia, which'll go much faster thanks to the Grade Shop. Then there's also ME: Andromeda as well...

[Fox]

I'm reminded of Fox's point about Vesperia aging if I dive too deeply into the most modern installments, and the same is probably doubly true for Symphonia, though wasn't there a PS3 re-release a few years ago?

Yes, they released a "remaster" on PS3 and Steam (also includes the sequel). It's a remaster in only the most technical sense, don't go in expecting Symphonia Final Mix.

Bearing in mind what I said about Vesperia... it may already be too late for Symphonia. I really, really struggled to get through it when I played it on the PS3 (which was my first time playing it). It's not a bad game but it has aged quite poorly, and there's a lot of not-very-good stuff in there that got ironed out in later releases. Symphonia was a great game for it's time and it's a great game due to the legacy it left behind.

But judging it on its own merits now, playing it for the first time in a post-Vesperia world? That's a really hard recommend to me. I'd go for Zestiria ahead of that and as I've said I am no fan of Zestiria.

[Pumpkin]

Wtf Jude xDDDDDD

Also, Scruff, send me a reminder to check out your review tomorrow!

[Fox]

How Spoilery is the spoiler? I wanna click it but I'm probably​ not far enough through the game xD

[Pumpkin]

It's like a sidequest spoiler without much context

[Fox]

I finally met Grimoire!! It only took me about a month!

COME ON MAN. PLAY THIS GAME FASTER. Poor Kat, I played one session of Gravity Rush 2, then paused it to go through Berseria. She's been waiting for me to come back and play with her for so long now

[Fox]

I really like how they've got the individual identity of the town back in this game. In Xillia in particular they all felt a beat generic (especially the seahavens) but here most places have their own unique feeling. Even the ports have a fair amount of variety to them. Makes the world feel much more alive.

The addition of a hoverboard to the series was a surprising but positive one

[Scruffington]

I really like how they've got the individual identity of the town back in this game. In Xillia in particular they all felt a beat generic (especially the seahavens) but here most places have their own unique feeling. Even the ports have a fair amount of variety to them. Makes the world feel much more alive.

The addition of a hoverboard to the series was a surprising but positive one

I definitely agree about the towns.

I will also say that the one advantage towns had in Xillia was introducing you to a variety of sidequests, which is more or less absent in Berseria. Instead, Berseria has replaced side quests with the monster hunts. Personally I prefer this approach greatly. While it would be cool to have more meaningful sidequests in Berseria, I love monster hunt quests. And I would rather have a game full of them as opposed to a game full of meaningless, filler fetch quests like other RPGs have.

The hoverboard was a great addition. I just wished they introduced it earlier in the game :( It's a huge step forward in terms of exploration for the series though. Hopefully the next game in the series has a better way to travel quickly between destinations (like a sprint meter or something).

[Fox]

What a thrill~
With darkness
And silence
In the night~

71867

[Scruffington]

What a thrill~
With darkness
And silence
In the night~

71867

That scene was genuinely sad. It reminded me a lot of Code Geass.

[Fox]

Yeah. A lot of scenes are generally sad at this point! I'm on the home stretch!

They've done a very good job of making sure that no one is a complete jerk just for the sake of it. And building relationships not just amongst your party but among the antagonists and NPCs as well. So when I rock in and smurf their trout up that can be pretty heartbreaking in itself. I know exactly what you mean about Code Geass; I didn't think of it at the time as the visual was so reminiscent of MGS3 but I definitely get where you're coming from.

[Pumpkin]

I finished it a little bit ago and I loved it. Not my fav Tales game but definitely up to the usual series standard. A bit sad it didn't end with Eleanor and Rokurou having babies, but you can't win em all. It's definitely bittersweet when you've played Zestiria and know the fate of some of the characters. Also the Velvet part of the ending had me in tears.

Also they have a survey up in case anyone wants to take it!

http://bnent.eu/BerseriaSurvey (https://t.co/VZan40kPcL)

Pls ask for Tales of localized fighting game, thank you

[Formalhaut]

I'm surprised they haven't done a Fighting Game. The Persona series did one and they didn't even have that many characters to use. Tales has plenty of people for a full roster.

[Shauna]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_VS.

But it was never localised to the West, which I assume is what Pumkin is after.

[Pumpkin]

Yar, dats why I said localized

[Formalhaut]

I don't see why they couldn't make it a success. Tales games are becoming much more popular in the West and is moving away from just being 'a Japan thing'. They would only have to modify the battle system slightly to suit fighting game mechanics.