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Tales trailers: Vesperia on PS3, VS on PSP

by Majed Athab { Apr 10th 2009 at 2:30PM }

As long as you promise not to break or burn anything, we'll allow you to view these video clips of Tales of Vesperia PS3 and the PSP-exclusive Tales of VS. Above, you'll find a Japanese trailer for Vesperia. It features the all-new pirate character, Patty.

After the break is a trailer for Tales of VS, which is very much like Dissidia: Final Fantasy in the sense that both are cameo-based fighters. VS gathers 35 characters from across the Tales series. Popular personalities such as Yuri, Luke, Richter and Shing are all confirmed. Also, you may have noticed that the trailer was entirely done in English. What could that mean, if anything? Tales of Vesperia and Tales of VS are scheduled for Japanese releases in autumn and summer 2009, respectively.

Continued →

Tales of Graces and/or awesome walking tank things

by JC Fletcher { Apr 10th 2009 at 2:00PM }

The first trailer for Namco Bandai's Tales of Graces reveals a game with a simple but nice art style and a beautiful color palette. As soft music plays, we see rolling green hills, lovely blue skies, and some kind of stone structure with an ornate entrance. And then ... awesome robot tank things with spider legs! You'd better run away, generic anime-style JRPG protagonists!

Unfortunately, the trailer goes on to show that we'll be controlling the spindly kids in combat and not the cool tank things. But at least the real-time combat looks fun, even if light on robots.

Japanese gamer breaks disc, burns magazine article over Vesperia PS3 port

by Majed Athab { Apr 8th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Perhaps "Tales of Rage" is a more suitable title for Tales of Vesperia on PS3, as fan reaction to the enhanced port hasn't gone over well. Fans of the series in Japan are livid at the announcement, seeing as many of these gamers bought systems just to play the formerly 360-exclusive game. In one case, a fan was so angry he snapped his game disc in half (... subconsciously telling himself he has a reason to pick it up again) and burned the PS3 announcement article.

While we feel sorry for such angered gamers, we do believe they should have known better. After all, the game was previously teased to appear on PS3 by Namco Bandai itself. Just couldn't wait, huh? No wonder they say patience is a virtue.

[Via Kotaku]

Tales of Vesperia movie confirmed, prequel to the game

by Ben Gilbert { Apr 7th 2009 at 2:03PM }

Oh, Namco Bandai, you sneaky sneaky publisher. You hold an entire press conference in Tokyo and wait all the way until the very end to sneak in an official confirmation of the Tales of Vesperia movie, titled "Tales of Vesperia: First Strike." Oh, and what's that? It's a prequel to the game featuring "Yuri and Flynn's days together among the Zaphian Knights?"

We're sorry, you're just going to have to do better than that. Oooh, you say it's being developed by I.G. Productions, the company that worked on previous film adaptations of various Tales games in the past? Keep talking. Seasoned animator Kanta Kamei, known not only for his work on Tales of Legendia but also as the visual supervisor for the animated segment in "Kill Bill Vol. 1" is directing it, eh? Well that certainly helps.

When "First Strike" releases in Japan "sometime later this year," it'd better be good! We'll let you off the hook this time -- but only this time.

[Via 1UP]

Goodness gracious! Tales of Graces announced for Wii

by Andrew Yoon { Apr 1st 2009 at 3:20PM }

Two Tales announcements not enough for you? Good, because Namco Bandai has one more ace up its sleeve. The next "real" Tales game has a home, and it's Nintendo Wii. Tales of Graces doesn't stray far from previous Tales games, with its cel-shaded environments and real-time action RPG battle sytem. According to Kombo, the theme of this new adventure is "protecting people." Guess this isn't the M-rated anti-hero Tales game we've all been waiting for.

The game is currently planned for Winter release in Japan. Considering this is a main entry in the series, we're confident Namco Bandai will also announce plans for a US release. Watch an early teaser after the break.

Continued →

Tales of Vesperia coming to PS3, Tales of VS for PSP

by Andrew Yoon { Apr 1st 2009 at 3:05PM }

Like you didn't see this one coming. Namco Bandai has finally announced a PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia. The game's exclusivity to Xbox 360 was always questioned, especially after a few noteworthy slip-ups on Namco Bandai's part. Like Eternal Sonata before it, the upcoming PS3 version of Vesperia will be enhanced over the original. Details are scarce for now, but the game will feature at least one new character. Japan will receive the enhanced port later this year.

In addition to Vesperia, the Japanese magazine debuted another Tales game for the PlayStation systems. Tales of VS, a PSP-exclusive that looks to be Namco Bandai's attempt at a Dissidia clone. The screens showcase characters from a number of Tales games brawling in a 3D environment, and indicate that VS looks to outdo Square Enix's fighter by offering support for up to four characters. As long as games like VS continue to be announced, it looks as though PSP is going to have another monster year in Japan.

[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]

Tales of Vesperia heads to Europe this June

by Andrew Yoon { Mar 25th 2009 at 4:15PM }

Gamers in PAL territories will finally be able to play Tales of Vesperia when it releases this June. The Namco Bandai RPG is the best-selling Xbox 360 game of 2008 ... in Japan. Nearly a year since its original release in Japan and America, our friends across the Atlantic can finally join in.

Regarded as the best Tales game ever by many, Vesperia transports players into the world of Terca Lumireis, a world where the people are no longer comfortable with the powerful imperial regime. The main character, Yuri, may look like a chick, but those that bear with the game will find him to be one of the most likable RPG characters in recent memory.

Gallery: Tales of Vesperia

Tales of the World gets Soulcalibur-themed DLC

by Andrew Yoon { Feb 18th 2009 at 11:30AM }

The currently Japan-only PSP RPG, Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2, is growing far beyond just the Tales universe. The all-star lineup of Namco Bandai stars expands in new downloadable content, which allows players to get costumes from Soulcalibur and Legend of Valkyrie. According to Siliconera, most of these costumes have been free.

We're pretty certain that Namco Bandai will bring this game over to the US, DLC intact. It seems as though PSP owners will need to get ready for a new era of DLC and microtransactions.

Tales of the World & PES 2009 dominate Japanese sales charts

by Andrew Yoon { Feb 9th 2009 at 12:30PM }

It seems as though nothing can stop the PSP in Japan. The top two releases in Japan last week are both PSP titles. Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2, Namco Bandai's PSP-exclusive fan service RPG, takes the top spot with over 212,000 units sold in one week. The PSP version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 also made a strong debut in the second spot, with over 109,000 units sold.

These numbers impress, and continue to reflect the startling difference between the Japanese and American PSP markets. What kind of game would make American gamers go wild for the PSP, in the same way Monster Hunter has?

Rumor: Three new 'Tales of' games trademarked

by Alexander Sliwinski { Feb 4th 2009 at 5:00AM }

NeoGAF poster Stormbringer notes that three new "Tales of" titles have been trademarked in Japan. As we all know by now: as long as the Bonnie and Clyde team of I and A work with "Tales of" gang, no half-mutilated word is safe from becoming part of the title in the JRPG series. The alleged newcomers:

Tales of Floweria
Tales of Gracia
Tales of Unitia
~~Tales of Makeitstopia~~

Meanwhile, we're going to start an underground railroad for words that actually end with i and a. We fear for their safety in this inhospitable land. Seek refuge: cornucopia, utopia, fuchsia, echolalia ... echolalia.

[Via Go Nintendo]

TGS 08: See the second Tales of the World

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 15th 2008 at 1:25PM }

The TGS trailer for the upcoming PSP fanservice RPG, Tales of the World 2, is rather epic. Once again, this game features a number of characters from various games in the Tales universe. With the current popularity of PSP, and Japan's eternal love for the franchise, this will undoubtedly be a best-seller.

Gallery: Tales of the World 2

A Tale of Two Tales

by JC Fletcher { Aug 22nd 2008 at 11:30AM }

Responding to the widespread criticism that there just aren't enough Tales games, Namco Bandai has taken the unprecedented step of releasing two versions of Tales of Hearts that differ in only one way, which has no effect on gameplay: the cutscenes.

Tales of Hearts will sell as an "Animation Edition," with anime-style cutscenes, and a "CG Movie Edition," whose cinematics use the off-putting 3D models seen in the scan above. Realistic people with anime hair and clothes just look weird! And this December, some poor otaku is going to feel compelled to purchase both the regular and ugly editions of the game.

[Scan via Wii Everyday]

Tales of Vesperia gets special edition treatment

by Richard Mitchell { Aug 6th 2008 at 2:00PM }

Once upon a time, special editions of games were truly special. Nowadays, it seems like very single game gets a special edition. We're not complaining though, because it means fans can almost always count on some extra swag with their favorite games. The latest title to jump on the special edition wagon is Tales of Vesperia, the upcoming RPG from Namco. As special editions go, it's fairly standard. For the price of $69.99 you get a spiffy metal case and a special 10th anniversary soundtrack CD (Tales of Vesperia is just the latest in the Tales series, you see). The CD packs 14 tracks from Tales of Vesperia, while the remaining tracks have been culled from other games in the Tales series. Worth an extra ten bucks? You be the judge.

[Via Joystiq]

Tales of Vesperia special edition has many tales to tell

by Jason Dobson { Aug 6th 2008 at 3:00AM }

Tales fans likely don't need extra incentive to secure a pre-order for Tales of Vesperia; the only question that remains is if they're happy with the regular version or want to pony up the extra gald for something shinier. Besides being wrapped in metal and artwork by series character designer Kosuke Fujishima, the $69.99 Tales of Vesperia special edition will also include a soundtrack CD celebrating a decade of console role-playing.

While specifics haven't been revealed, Namco Bandai notes that of the 25 songs included on the disc, a hefty 14 will be pulled from Vesperia, with the remainder coming from Tales of Symphonia (4), Tales of the Abyss (3), Tales of Phantasia (2) and Tales of Destiny (2). However, as much as we enjoy our ears, this limited offering is a step back from the Big Daddies and cat helmets we're used to, though we doubt that will stop fans from switching their pre-orders over in the run up to the game's August 26 release.

Gallery: Tales of Vesperia

New Tales of the World 2 screens exude fan service

by Majed Athab { Jul 23rd 2008 at 1:00PM }

It looks like Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 has all its cameo characters accounted for. The popular ensemble of 19 guest characters from other Tales games will return in Tales of the World 2. Not only that, but it looks like they're also bringing additional friends to the party. Some of the newer cameos belong to Cless Alvein from Tales of Phantasia, and Presea Combatir from Tales of Symphonia. There are more screens of other characters over at GameWatch, do you recognize anyone?