Tales of Vesperia

Game Chronicles

Tales of Vesperia may not be a perfect title or receive a perfect score, but it’s fun, engaging and everything I really want in an RPG.

ZTGameDomain

In closing, Tales of Vesperia is a must buy for fans of the series, and a Must Try for those new to the series, or new to the genre. Vesperia is, what I hope, the tip of the iceberg for next gen capabilities as the series continues.

Video Game Talk

Tales of Vesperia is a fantastic RPG that isn't to be missed by lovers of the genre.

GameDaily

Sporting a robust real-time combat system, the most beautiful cel-shaded graphics we've seen (even topping Eternal Sonata) and a compelling story that will keep you coming back until you finish this lengthy quest, Tales is one of the best games of the year and it'll appeal to RPG fans of all kinds.

NTSC-uk

Tales of Vesperia surpasses every Tales game that preceded it, by building on their strengths and adding a series of new features.

RPG Fan

Those who enjoy the Tales series or action RPGs won't be doing themselves a disservice by buying Vesperia, but those desiring a more groundbreaking title should look elsewhere.

GameTrailers

Vesperia features rich characters, a well-balanced, deep combat system, and impressive presentation. In fact, it’s hard to find many faults with it.

GameZone

If anything, Tales of Vesperia is one deep and enchanting role-playing game that manages to weave a good story and keep you hooked from start to finish. It certainly isn’t a revolutionary RPG but with a wonderful cast of characters and a good story, it’s hard not to find yourself thoroughly enjoying everything about this engaging game RPG fans will come to love.

Xbox360Achievements

The graphics are a little under what I'd hoped and the story isn't as fresh as I'd have liked, but the battle system and the overall execution are excellent.

Cheat Code Central

Truly, Tales of Vesperia is more akin to an interactive cartoon than it is to a traditional JRPG. This is one of the reasons players will enjoy this title so much. It is an engaging gaming experience that somehow capably balances storyline, combat, in and out of engine cutscenes, power leveling, and main and side mission quests.

Planet Xbox 360

While it has some of the typical RPG gripes, the combat, story, and presentation are worth dealing with a little grinding to experience.

GamingTrend

Tales of Vesperia is a very strong addition to the Tales series, and makes a fantastic debut on the 360.

Console Monster

There is nothing quite like Tales of Vesperia on the Xbox 360, and if you like JRPG's you really owe it to yourself to check it out, and if you are new to the genre then this is a really good starting point.

Gameplanet

Although it was released nearly a year ago in Japan, Tales of Vesperia still represents good value for money. It's a fun, quirky JRPG that provides hours of entertainment for the whole family. If this genre is your kind of thing, you could do a lot worse.

GamingXP

A role-playing game for the Xbox360 every fan has to play! Beautiful anime-graphics and very good gameplay make this game to something special.

Play.tm

No single component stands out, but it's in a combination of pleasant, well-realised bits and bobs that the game becomes a largely positive experience. With Tales of Vesperia Namco have produced a simple, unassuming adventure that's brimming with enough charm to easily make up for any lack of inspiration.

WonderwallWeb

The real time fighting and simple menu's make Tales of Vesperia a good entry point for newcomers to the RPG genre.

MS Xbox World

With Tales of Vesperia, I can’t assure you’ll be playing anything distinctively different to any other JRPG out there. The only part of the game that is far from usual JRPG expectations are the real-time combat mechanics, unfortunately though they cause more of a frustrating and unsatisfying button romp rather than bringing anything enjoyable to the table.

SpazioGames

Tales of Vespera is a great JRPG. The story and the characters will remain in your hearts and their characterization is exceptional, as is their appearance.

Extreme Gamer

For all those who are on the fence, Tales of Vesperia is a beautifully rendered experience that is worth a rental at the least. If you are a fan of Japanese styled role-playing games then you'll need to head down to your local game store and hope they have a copy of Tales behind the cash, it will be worth the drive.

Official Xbox Magazine

Incredibly satisfying. [Oct 2008, p.82]

GameSpot

Tales of Vesperia is the best game yet in the series, and a beautiful and entertaining RPG in its own right.

My Gamer

For any fan of RPG’s, espically fans of Japanese RPGs, Tales is a must have.

Game Revolution

A shining example of what makes these games great. There is plenty of depth, and there’s no way you’ll see everything in one run-through. If you have a month or two to kill, check it out.

GameShark

Looking at the whole product on paper, Tales of Vesperia really doesn’t do anything new or exciting. Instead, Namco Bandai takes the components for RPG success—a serviceable story, stellar writing, combat which doesn’t become a chore, anime-inspired visuals, and a fantasy setting with some roots in reality—and puts them together so well that the game just works. Is the game groundbreaking? No. Is it fun? You bet.

1UP

Traditional elements -- an anime-styled cast, a lush, expansive overworld, and a familiar fantasy setting -- will always be welcome, so long as they're done well. And Vesperia succeeds as well as any Japanese RPG this generation.

XGN

Namco Bandai has delivered a good game. We're lucky Japanese people didn't forget how to make a RPG like they should be. It's definitely the best Tales of Vesperia title in the Tales-franchise with a nice balance between fights and dialogues.

Pelit (Finland)

A good action-RPG with some story-related hiccups. The first 15 hours or so are dull and that's a quite serious problem in a story-driven game. [July 2009]

3DJuegos

Tales of Vesperia is the best game in the series. A must have for any fan of Japanese RPGs.

IGN

Tales of Vesperia is a strong anime-style Japanese RPG with a wide-ranging story, compelling characters and an intense real-time battle system that keeps you on your toes.

Gamer 2.0

Tales of Vesperia is a fine RPG, but its somewhat cliché story stands at the cliff of the compelling and doesn’t take a leap of faith.

XboxAddict

All in all, Tales of Vesperia is a nice treat for RPG fans, and the first title in the long running series to be an Xbox 360 exclusive.

TeamXbox

If gads of dialog, characters that ooze personality and freer form combat sounds like an RPG delight to you, then order up Tales of Vesperia pronto.

Games Radar (in-house)

An incredibly deep experience.

GameSpy

Vesperia may not deliver a totally fresh plot, but well-written character dialogue and a great combat system go a long way towards mitigating the cliches. A superior blend of style and production values, Tales of Vesperia is the best JRPG on the 360 thus far.

Hardcore Gamer Magazine

The graphics are stunning, the characters are interesting and the game is simply really fun to play.

G4 TV

Action-based combat controls aside, Tales of Vesperia is a perfect example of why the Japanese RPG is so venerated. The game deals with serious issues like corrupt government, tyranny, crime, honor, friendship, and other familiar elements, yet seldom bogs itself down in overdone drama.

Edge Magazine

Its characters may initially seem to be lazy stereotypes, but they soon blossom into something deeper, thanks to intelligent writing and uncommonly naturalistic acting. [Dec 2008, p.97]

Armchair Empire

Would I recommend Tales of Vesperia? Sure, to a gamer that has no experience in RPGs or to try and entice an action junkie into the genre. Otherwise, hardcore RPG gamers will find it a bit too thin of an experience.

GamerNode

Tales of Vesperia stands alone atop the JRPG heap composed of the generic JRPGs we've seen so far this generation. Final Fantasy 13 has its work cut out for it.

PALGN

Tales of Vesperia succeeds in providing a great and enjoyable action JRPG experience for the Xbox 360, but could have shaken off a few of the older, peskier genre conventions.

Gamer.nl

Tales of Vesperia's presentation is excellent and the characters really absorb you into the story. However, the simple battle system and the lack op depth prevent the game from rising to great heights.

BigPond GameArena

Its remarkable graphics and well thought out and voiced characters mark it as a definite achievement, and the sheer length and breadth of it means dozens of hours of entertainment. Plus there is a dog smoking a pipe.

Eurogamer

Namco is to be applauded for updating the series with no small amount of consideration and flair, an effort that has resulted in the strongest entry to the aging series yet, and one which makes up for its lack of polish with an abundance of detail, character and, dare I say it, soul.

Meristation

Long, engaging, interesting and really fun. With great visuals and an incredible sound, charming characters and an interesting gameplay, Tales of Vesperia is not just one of the best Tales of ever, but also one of Xbox 360's best RPGs yet.

Vandal Online

Tales of Vesperia is a solid role-playing game, built upon the canonical bases of the japanese genre. The characters go through an epic story, with moments of drama and also some bits of humor. Its intense combat mantains the tradition of the series, and it also has a good technical part.

Multiplayer.it

Tales of Vesperia actually is one of the best available jrpg on Xbox 360. Its combat system is an almost perfect mix between action and strategy and its graphics are one the best examples of contemporary cell shading. The problem is that the game hasn't been localized in Italian and the ones not familiar with English won't be able to fully enjoy Tales of Vesperia's characters and story.

Official Xbox Magazine UK

A tale worth telling to JRPG fans everywhere. [July 2009, p.90]

AceGamez

This is no Final Fantasy but so long as you approach it with reasonable expectations, Tales of Vesperia should have no trouble finding a place to call its own in the affections of every discerning JRPG fan.

Level7.nu

Tales of Vesperia for is certainly an appealing experience and a great addition to the RPG library on the Xbox 360. The world and the characters populating it are both charming and interesting and the plot is well worth the time spent making your way through the game. Battles are fun but can become a bit busy at times. This is but a minor flaw in an otherwise great Japanese RPG.

MondoXbox

Thanks to the excellent visuals, brilliant characters and a compelling plot, Tales of Vesperia is a sure bet for all Japanese RPG and fantasy anime lovers: the very good combat system will ensure you to never get bored during the about 40 hours needed to end the main story, without counting in the many side-quests. Too bad, for us italian users, that the game wasn't localized at all: a very important blank, seen the great amount of dialogues involved.

NZGamer

My biggest gripe with Tales of Vesperia is cosmetic, so let me say that while it bugs the hell out of me, it doesn't detract from the overall playability of the title. The writing, and the voice acting, is pretty effing terrible.

InsideGamer.nl

Tales of Vesperia is a good mix of action-packed fighting, a nice story and accessible gameplay. However, the problem is that the game has scarcely any new gameplay elements compared to (for instance) Tales of Symphonia. Newbies will like Tales of Versperia very much, but people who’ve played Tales of Symphonia need to ask themselves whether they want to go on a tour of reminiscence. Even when it is a very pleasant tour.

Worth Playing

It's miles ahead of games like Enchanted Arms and Operation Darkness, but that is perhaps the most interesting thing one can say about it. The plot is dull and hits every single RPG cliché, the combat system is fun but flawed, and there is really nothing memorable about it.

Game Informer

If you’re still a fan of the old school approach to storytelling and gameplay, you’ll be pleased to know that Vesperia is a tour de force of what you love. For the rest of us, this series meets our modest expectations, albeit with a pretty visual overlay.

Xbox World 360 Magazine UK

The series' next gen debut plays it safe, but will doubtless charm the pants off fans. [Aug 2009, p.80]

Games Master UK

Tales series acolytes will be spellbound; the rest of us have moved on somewhat. [Aug 2009, p.67]

X360 Magazine UK

Ultimately feels stale. [Issue#47, p.84]

Teletext GameCentral

Japanese role-player that massages the usual formula into an unusually nuanced and exciting epic.

Boomtown

Tales of Vesperia is a well polished, entertaining and charming adventure. It isn’t anything you haven’t seen before, however.

Eurogamer Spain

Tales of Vesperia picks all the tradition from a long running series (currently on its tenth installment), with attractive graphics and sound design.

GamePro

This interesting installment in the Tales series is probably best suited to hardcore RPG nuts and fans who loved the previous titles.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Series vets should expect deja vu from Vesperia's linear town-dungeon-town progression, superfluous cut-scenes, and lame cooking minigames. [Oct 2008, p.86]

Destructoid

It never truly captures the imagination nor has the ability to draw a person into its fantasy world.

GameCritics

If you hadn't figured it out for yourself already, allow me to reiterate—Tales of Vesperia is sort of like an RPG treadmill. For every step forward the game makes with its use of characters or social commentary, it follows up with a step back in the form of an over-reliance on genre clichés and a meandering narrative focus.

Gameplayer Sweden

A well done and extreme beautiful old school jprg. For Xbox Original it had been a system seller. Today we demand more from the genre. We need more than just a great look and cute characters and Tales of Vesperia fails to give us that.

games(TM)

The bones are here for a stunning adventure, but the imagination simply isn't. Our disappointment is palpable. [Sept 2009, p.116]