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The 30th anniversary of the Tales series is just around the corner and Bandai Namco has already started preparations with the Remastered Project. For those who would like to take a walk down memory lane, or are curious about what other Tales games they can play while waiting for new (or remastered) releases, here is a full list of the mothership Tales titles.

Tales of Phantasia 2q1f5t

Release Date: December 15, 1995

Platforms: Super Famicom, PlayStation, GBA, PSP, iOS, mobile devices

The first Tales title takes place in Aselia and follows Cless Albane, who seeks revenge after his hometown is destroyed. He learns that the culprits behind the attack wish to revive a powerful sorcerer king, Dhaos. Using the power of time travel, Cless and his friends travel to the past and future in order to defeat Dhaos for good.

Tales of Destiny 304o49

Release Date: December 23, 1997

Platforms: PlayStation

The original Tales of Destiny came out on the PlayStation and the remake came out in 2006 for the PS2. It follows Stahn, who accidentally finds a sentient sword that calls itself Dymlos. He, along with other wielders of speaking swords, fight for the Eye of Atamoni, which is a powerful relic from an ancient war.

Tales of Destiny Remake is one of the best titles in the Tales series for its story—which expands on the original and includes a redemption arc for popular character Leon—and fighting style. Hopefully, Bandai Namco has plans for a remaster so that it can officially release the game to the west.

Tales of Eternia 2t543o

Release Date: November 30, 2000

Platforms: PlayStation, PSP

Tales of Eternia, released in the west as Tales of Destiny 2, has nothing to do with Tales of Destiny. Instead, it follows Reid Hershel and his friends, who live together in the world of Inferia. One day, they come across a mysterious foreign girl named Meredy and through their interactions with her, learn of a different world called Celestia. They journey together to stop an ages-old conflict between the two worlds.

Tales of Eternia feels like the turning point for the Tales series in that it propelled the series into its initial popularity. It was popular enough for an anime adaptation and a MMO, though the anime was pretty bad (in that it had little to do with the game) and the MMO didn’t last long. The battle system feels a lot more fluid compared to Phantasia and Destiny, and it holds up to newer 2D Tales games too. 

Tales of Destiny 2 3i3854

Release Date: November 28, 2002

Platforms: PS2, PSP

The actual sequel to Tales of Destiny, Tales of Destiny 2 follows Kyle, who’s the son of Stahn and Rutee from the first game. Due to his parents’ heroic past, he’s also obsessed with becoming a hero. One day, he meets a mysterious girl named Reala and embarks on a journey to become a true hero.

Like the above Tales of Destiny Remake, Tales of Destiny 2 is a fantastic game. It’s got a great story, compelling characters, and a difficult battle system that’s rewarding to master. The meme himself, Barbatos, is also from this game. Considering how much trouble he can give you, it can be a little hard to laugh at the jokes Bandai Namco make at his expense.

Tales of Symphonia 5r3l5w

Release Date: August 29, 2003

Platforms: Nintendo GameCube, PS2, PS3, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One

Tales of Symphonia was popular in its native Japan, but it’s what really put the franchise on the map for the western audience. While the west had gotten Phantasia and Eternia, they weren’t exactly selling like hotcakes in the way that Symphonia did. The story follows Lloyd, who s his friend Colette’s pilgrimage to regenerate the world of Sylvarant.

Tales of Rebirth 3d484v

Release Date: December 16, 2004

Platforms: PS2, PSP

The story of Tales of Rebirth heavily focuses on racism. It takes place in a world where people wield a magical power called Force after King Ladras, in his final moments, uses his power to unleash the potential in people around his kingdom. Veigue lost power of his Force of Ice and froze his childhood friend Claire in a pillar. Even after he manages to free her with the help of new friends Eugene and Mao, soldiers acting on orders from Karegia Kingdom heiress Agarte take her away. His journey to rescue her from the palace morphs into a battle to end racism.

Tales of Legendia 4q6q12

Release Date: August 25, 2005

Platforms: PS2

Tales of Legendia follows the story of Senel and his surrogate little sister Shirley. Shirley is the Merines, a legendary figure among the Ferines, which is a race of people who can live underwater. Because Shirley is the Merines, many different factions want to capture her to use them for their own schemes.

Compared to previous titles (and its successor Abyss), Tales of Legendia looks and plays in a very weird way. This likely has to do with the fact that the developer, Project MelFes, consists of Tales Studio , along with developers from the Tekken and Soul Calibur series. It’s the first Tales game with Go Shiina as the composer and the soundtrack is objectively the game’s highest point.

Tales of the Abyss 5h3k3x

Release Date: December 15, 2005

Platforms: PS2, Nintendo 3DS

Tales of the Abyss is the eighth mothership title, but it’s the commemorative game for the series’s 10th anniversary. It follows Luke fon Fabre, a pampered noble and swordsman who ends up outside of his comfy mansion after heroine Tear appears to assassinate her brother, who’s also Luke’s teacher. The story heavily focuses on Luke’s personal development as he seeks the meaning of his birth. There is also an anime adaptation for Abyss, which you can watch on YouTube.

Tales of the Tempest r5ii

Release Date: October 26, 2006

Platforms: Nintendo DS

Tales of the Tempest follows Caius Qualls, who is a Leymon (essentially a werewolf). After the church takes his guardian prisoner and kill the parents of his childhood friend Rubia, the two of them set out for the capital. The adventure then turns into one to overthrow the church.

Tales of the Tempest is the first Tales game for a handheld console. However, the reception to the game was very mixed, with some places giving it a very positive score and others giving it a very negative one. Points of criticism included the story’s short length, lack of content, unappealing relationship between Caius and Rubia, and more.

Tales of Innocence 14305s

Release Date: December 6, 2007

Platforms: Nintendo DS, PS Vita

The story of Tales of Innocence follows avatars, human reincarnations of the divine Devalokans who can still use supernatural powers from their past lives. Ruca, a timid boy, is an avatar of the powerful Asura and he awakens to his powers after rescuing fugitive Illia, a fellow avatar. They meet up with other avatars, who then travel to do something about the wars engulfing their world.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World 4t508

Release Date: June 26, 2008

Platforms: Wii, PS3

Though the sequel of Tales of Symphonia, Dawn of the New World introduces a lot of lore and elements that weren’t in the original game. It follows Emil, a timid boy who survived a massacre that Lloyd from the first game perpetrated. After meeting with Marta, a girl with Ratatosk’s Core on her forehead, the two of them set out on a journey to fix the meteorological problems occurring around the world and escape from Marta’s pursuers.

Tales of Vesperia 164y6m

Release Date: August 7, 2008

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Windows PC, Xbox One

Tales of Vesperia is a very popular and successful entry in the Tales franchise, selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide. It also has a prequel film, though Flynn in particular is so out-of-character it might as well be fanfiction. The story follows Yuri Lowell, a former soldier who’s now doing odd jobs around his neighborhood. After meeting a noble named Estelle and fleeing from the capital with her, he forms a guild called Brave Vesperia.

Tales of Hearts 6c70r

Release Date: December 18, 2008

Platforms: Nintendo DS, PS Vita, iOS

Tales of Hearts follows Kor Meteor (Shing Meteoryte) who meets siblings Kohaku and Hisui Hearts. A monster infects Kohaku and in an attempt to save her, Kor accidentally destroys her Spiria (her heart and emotions). The three of them set off on a journey to restore Kohaku’s Spiria.

People don’t talk about the CG Movie Edition, but I definitely that one. People were comparing the models to the Evil Goddess MOCCOS, an old 2ch meme about the ugly KOS-MOS figure that came with the Xenosaga Episode 2 Box Set.

Tales of Graces 5q5o6m

Release Date: December 10, 2009

Platforms: Wii, PS3, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Windows PC

Tales of Graces follows the story of Asbel Lhant, who is the future heir of the Lhant village. As a child, he befriends an amnesiac girl named Sophie and the prince of Windsor, Richard. Witnessing Sophie’s death traumatizes him and he runs away from home to become a knight. Seven years later, he reunites with Sophie, setting into motion an adventure that takes him all across the world of Ephinea.

Tales of Xillia 1l6o71

Release Date: September 8, 2011

Platforms: PS3

Tales of Xillia is the first Tales game that combines character designs from Kosuke Fujishima (Phantasia, Symphonia, Abyss) and Mutsumi Inomata (Destiny, Eternia, Rebirth). Like Tales of the Abyss, it’s a celebratory mothership title. In Xillia's case, it was for the 15th anniversary. It follows Jude Mathis, a medical student who encounters Milla Maxwell after she breaks into a military research facility in an attempt to destroy a secret weapon. Now that they’re on the run from the military, Jude and Milla, along with their companions, journey to help Milla with her mission to save the world.

Tales of Xillia 2 3nb3v

Release Date: November 1, 2012

Platforms: PS3

Tales of Xillia 2, like Dawn of the New World, is a sequel of its predecessor while introducing elements and lore that the original game never really mentioned. It takes place a year after Xillia and follows Ludger Will Kresnik, a guy who just wants to cook. It turns out he’s not just a good cook, as he possesses the Chromatus. He and the cast from the first Xillia need to go into parallel worlds—essentially what-if scenarios from the first game—and destroy them to prevent their own world’s destruction. He also has to pay off a huge medical debt. Ah, adult life.

Tales of Zestiria 3cr5c

Release Date: January 22, 2015

Platforms: PS3, PS4, Windows PC

Tales of Zestiria was, like Abyss and Xillia, an anniversary title and this time, it was for the 20th anniversary. It draws inspiration from Arthurian legends and it follows the story of Sorey, a young human who can see the mystical spirits Seraphim. He leaves the village of Elysia with his best friend Mikleo and, after forming a pact with the Seraph Lailah, he becomes the Shepherd whose job is to purify the Hellion rampaging throughout Glenwood.

For an anniversary title, Zestiria had its fair share of controversies. Before the game came out, Japanese fans were ticked off about how prominent advertising for Alisha was, yet she was a mere guest party member in the actual game. After it came out, fans seemed split on the story, battle system, and tutorials.

Tales of Berseria k586k

Release Date: August 18, 2016

Platforms: PS3, PS4, Windows PC

Tales of Berseria technically serves as the prequel to Tales of Zestiria. However, you don’t have to play Zestiria to understand Berseria. It follows Velvet Crowe, a normal village girl who lost her pregnant sister after a daemon attack. One day, tragedy strikes the village and Velvet comes across her brother-in-law Artorius killing her younger brother Laphicet in a ritual. She transforms into a daemon and Artorius tosses her into jail. Once she wakes, she swears vengeance on the man who used to be her family.

Tales of Arise 37x2o

Release Date: September 10, 2021

Platforms: PS4, PS5, Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

Tales of Arise follows the story of Dahnan slave Alphen, or “Iron Mask,” and a Renan girl named Shionne. A curse on Shionne hurts anyone who touches her but since Alphen can’t feel pain, he’s the only person who can pull a sword from the Master Core she has. Like Rebirth and Eternia, it deals with themes of racism and oppression.

The post All Mothership Titles in the Tales Series in Release Order appeared first on Siliconera.

Ever since the Tales series started off with Tales of Phantasia in 1996, Namco (and later Bandai Namco) have released almost twenty mainline titles in the long-running JRPG franchise. With its anime art style and action-oriented combat systems, it set itself apart from competitors such as Square’s Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series. But with so many main titles, spin-offs, and remasters, it can be daunting for a new player to jump in and start. Here are some recommendations for either your first or your next Tales game.

As a disclaimer, this is not a comprehensive list! Some of the games I recommend, such as Rebirth and Abyss, didn't make it because they didn't fit any of the categories I came up with.

Best Retro 2D Tales Game: Tales of Destiny Remake 6x3y13

While the original Tales of Destiny was fine, it suffered from some jankiness that might make it hard to play for a modern audience. The 2006 PS2 version looked amazing with its 2D sprites and 3D environments. Between its fast-paced CC battle system and its story (which is fairly classic JRPG fare with an updated version of Leon which better matches his future characterization), it’s definitely one of the best games to play if you want to experience the magic of the Tales series.

Best Tales Spin-Off: Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 3mk54

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 is the third and final entry in the Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology series. Though the plot isn’t anything to write home about, the sheer number of playable characters, as well as being able to see characters from various Tales games interacting with each other, makes it a fairly fun game. It can be a little overwhelming though.

Best Tales Game to Play When You Want to Cry: Tales of Legendia 850v

What makes a story sad is subjective, but Tales of Legendia is definitely the one that’s made me cry the most for more reasons than one. Despite how great the story is and how endearing the characters are, it’s absolutely horrendous to play. But legitimately, the ending of the game gets me every time. Even for Tales standards, it’s very character-driven, with a lot of moments that don’t necessarily serve to move the story forward. In that sense, players who don’t care about the cast might feel some way about that.

Best Tales Game For Those Who Want a Challenge: Tales of Destiny 2 n1071

As a disclaimer, I mean the actual Destiny 2 (the sequel to Destiny) and not Eternia. Tales of Destiny 2 doesn’t have a particularly complicated battle system, but it can get difficult especially with its plethora of annoying bosses. Though fun, it’s definitely not the easiest Tales game to beat.

Best Tales Game to Ignore: Tales of Zestiria 5e643w

Ever since its launch, controversies nipped at Tales of Zestiria’s heels and even almost a decade after its initial release, things have not gotten better. The story doesn’t live up to its initial hype and is surprisingly straightforward, with basically only one act and little depth. That goes for the characters as well. Though the battle system can be really fun to customize once you know what you’re doing, the game doesn’t do a fantastic job at explaining it, which means most people might not be able to make the most of it. While Zestiria serves as a sequel to the superior Berseria, you really don’t need to play Zestiria to understand it.

Best Tales Game to Play Alone: Tales of Berseria 6p29n

Tales of Berseria is perfectly fine to play with multiple people, but I personally find that its camera work is so busy that it’s easier to play it solo. Its AI is also pretty good too, and I’ve experienced very little issues with it. As mentioned in the above Zestiria entry, Berseria takes place in the same timeline and world. However, there is no need to suffer through Zestiria if you just want to play Berseria.

Best Tales Game to Play With Friends: Tales of Vesperia y5j3d

Tales of Vesperia has a lot of fun and unique characters to play as in battle, but the AI is pretty stupid. It can be a bit annoying to have to constantly mess with them to make sure they don’t do anything dumb and even then, they’re nowhere near as good as previous Tales games. I actually have a conspiracy theory that, like with Resident Evil 5 and 6, Bandai Namco made the AI terrible on purpose to encourage multiplayer. Judith is the worst offender, as she is borderline useless in battle without a person controlling her.

Most Fashionable Tales Game: Tales of Graces 1a224b

Most Tales games have collectible costumes and accessories you can put on your characters to make them look and silly. Tales of Graces, in my opinion, is one of the best games when it comes to cosmetics. The unfortunate thing is that the majority of the costumes are paid DLC. Outside of fashion, Tales of Graces has a clean UI, a beautiful watercolor aesthetic, and a fast-paced battle system that straddles the line between “Wow, so pretty!” and “Wow, I’m going to have a seizure!”

Best Tales Remaster, Remake, or Port: Tales of Innocence R 5r3q2

As much as I wanted to put Tales of the Abyss on this list, even if it meant putting it here as a “best port,” I can’t in good conscience ignore Tales of Innocence R. This is the PlayStation Vita port of Tales of Innocence, which originally came out on the Nintendo DS. I generally think the Vita ports of the DS games were really well-executed, and they add enough new content and characters that it feels worth it to play the same game twice. The downside is that Innocence R and Hearts R are both on the Vita, which was hardly a popular console.

The post Best Tales Games to Consider as Your Next JRPG appeared first on Siliconera.

This year is full of anniversaries. It also happens to be the 15th anniversary of the Tales series, and Namco are celebrating with budget re-releases of some of the older games.

From right to left, you have: Tales of Phantasia (PSP), Tales of Eternia (PSP), Tales of Destiny 2 (PSP), Tales of Rebirth (PSP), Tales of Vesperia (PS3), and finally, Tales of Graces f (PS3). Each one comes in a special 15th anniversary sleeve, and will be sold separately.

On the back of each box is a code for a Tales of Xillia custom theme:

All six Tales of 15th Anniversary Collection budget re-releases are slated for release on August 4th. Tales of Xillia itself will be released a month later on September 8th.

The post Namco Celebrate Tales’ 15th Anniversary With Budget Re-Releases In Japan appeared first on Siliconera.