Have You Played Any Tales Games?

[Loony BoB]

Haven't played any but wouldn't mind giving one a go someday.

[Taiga]

So far I've beaten Symphonia, Hearts R, Graces F, Xillia and Xillia 2.
I'm close to finishing Abyss and Twin Brave, and I've started playing Phantasia, Eternia and Radiant Mythology 2 a while ago, but I get easily distracted by other games, so.. this will still take a while.

[Vyk]

Haven't played any but wouldn't mind giving one a go someday.

They're almost all couch co-op inclusive :3

[Shauna]

Haven't played any but wouldn't mind giving one a go someday.

They're almost all couch co-op inclusive :3

Only in battles though! Player 2 has to be okay being relegated to the sidelines during exploration/town periods. x}

[Laddy]

I think the Tales games are very good for the most part but can still be, individually, a mixed bag seeing they can use anime and JRPG formulas moreso than say Final Fantasy (which is saying a lot). Each game is clearly not half-assed and is generally very well-polished and inspired.Vesperia, Xillia, The Abyss, and Symphonia are the best in my opinion.

[Del Murder]

Dear Tales Fans,

I have not played any Tales games, but they look fun. I am a busy man and would probably only have time for one of them. I was thinking of getting Symphonia (the updated PS3 version). Is that a good choice?

Sincerely,
Del Murder

[Vyk]

The PS3 version uses the PS2 version, which had a lower resolution and slower framerate from what I gathered. And not a lot of people liked the sequel which is included. I personally find Symphonia to be on the slow side and not many characters or plot elements drew me in or kept me interested. Xillia 1 & 2 are still the only ones I've legitimately finished. They kept me interested, the characters were more fleshed out, the battle system was so much more fun than the others, its a lot faster, and has way more voice acting

If you don't mind the slower pacing and way more reading of the older games, there's not really anything wrong with them. But you have a 3DS, yes? Abyss may be a better jumping off point. Symphonia is pretty highly regarded. But I believe Abyss is loved by even more people, and for the most part I get the impression that it's the favorite of almost everyone who played it

I haven't had the pleasure yet, but it seemed worth mentioning

[Pumpkin]

I haven't played Symphonia, but the two I always hear about are Symphonia and Vesperia (both of which I own but haven't played yet)

I played Abyss and both Xillia games and I enjoyed Xillia more, although they're both solid games. The gameplay was a lot smoother in Xillia I found, and the characters made me care more, but the story in Abyss was more interesting to me

[Mirage]

If you only have time for one, I wouldn't pick Symphonia.

[Del Murder]

Thanks for narrowing it down, Mirage.

[Mirage]

Personally, I think Xillia is pretty good story-wise, but the gameplay of Graces F is better balanced, without an extreme focus on offense. Both games are available on PS3.

I've heard good things about vesperia, but I've never played it because I don't have a 360.

I did enjoy Symphonia when I played it back on gamecube though. It's not a bad game, but the story is a bit dull, and the voice acting and how characters act in cutscenes isn't all that great.

[Del Murder]

Is the series like FF where all the games are independent except when there is a direct sequel like Xillia 2?

[Pumpkin]

Yes

I've heard Symphonia is like 4000 years before Phantasia, but its a very loose connection

[Mirage]

Yeah, it's like FF for the most part. Even if the games take place in the same world, they're unlikely to have any strong ties. Don't worry about it.

[Polnareff]

I've played the following (with what versions I played in parentheses) :

Tales of Phantasia (for SFC, GBA, PSX, and PSP)
Tales of Destiny (PSX and PS2)
Tales of Destiny 2 (PS2 and PSP)
Tales of Eternia (PSX and PSP) <this was released as Tales of Destiny 2 in the US, while Japan kept the real game
Tales of Symphonia (PS2 JP version, never played the GC one)
Tales of Rebirth (PS2 and PSP)
Tales of Hearts (DS)
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology (PSP)
TotW: RM 2 (PSP)
TotW: RM 3 (PSP)
Tales: Narikiri Dungeon 2 (GBA)
Tales: Narikiri Dungeon 3 (GBA)
Tales of Vs. (PSP)
Tales of Vesperia (360)
Tales of Innocence (DS)
Tales of the Tempest (DS)
Tales of Legendia (PS2)
Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave (PSP)
Tales of Graces F (PS3)

My favorite Tales games are Rebirth, Destiny 2 (the real one) and Twin Brave. My least favorites are Vesperia, Innocence, and Tempest. So....yeah. But the most fun I've personally ever had with a Tales game was when I imported Twin Brave last year. It's basically a DW-type game with all the main characters of the Tales series. It's great fun.