At long last, a “Tales of†game has come stateside to the Playstation 3 in the form of, “Tales of Graces Fâ€. It has been quite a while since the Playstation 3 has seen an Epic Magnum Opus JRPG of this caliber since Star Ocean: Last Hope International , let alone the Western/North American market. And ever since we have heard that this title was to hit Western shores; December the 14th of last year; fans of Namco and their Tales franchise, have been eagerly awaiting the latest and best Tales games to come to the Playstation 3. And with the sort of reputation that Namco has with the franchise, you cannot be surprised by how much Western gamers have been waiting for such a release for a long time.
The central storyline revolves around 5 core characters, set in the Kingdom of Windor; Asbel, Chreria, Sophie, Hubert and Richard. The story starts off with the five main characters as children; then after a couple hours of emotional and dramatic gameplay; quickly forwards the time setting and advances the characters ages seven years to their current teenage/young adult status. A bulk of the game takes place in this setting and along with the gameplay, the story line progresses at a rapid pace, having the characters move from one area/event to another. It is needless to say, that a magnum opus JRPG of this caliber can easily clock in at over 50-60 hours of gameplay. Though the beginning of the game places a huge emphasis on “friendships†and “childhood bondsâ€, this game does not let up on the action once it gets going as the characters are reintroduced as young adults. The game starts off a bit slow due to character development, but it makes the emotional investment and battles all that much sweeter.
Some key ingredients as to why Tales of Graces F is such a great Playstation 3 game. The battle system is as much as you can expect in a traditional Japanese Role Playing Game (JRPG). Superb, and with the real time battles that Namco’s franchise is famous for, this title does not disappoint. It’s easily one of the more enjoyable role playing games out there. Everything is easily explained, the battles carry themselves out smoothly and the difficulty level can be easily adjusted from the menu screen to fit your basic gameplaying level. Whether you’re a seasoned RPG player or novice newbie, this title will keep you entertained with its gameplay for quite awhile. The sound and graphics are nice, although the cell shaded cartoony graphics may set some casual RPG fans off, the hardcore JRPG Tales fan, will feel right at home. Having first debuted on the Wii back in 2009 and being only made available in Japan at the time, this is the first time Tales of Graces (now aptly added with an “Fâ€) has been localized for Western shores. And the graphics and sound have been given an HD (High Definition) boost from its initial Wii build. So you can expect a full Playstation 3 cell powered technological serving in all its glory and might. The replay value is quite admirably high for this title. Nowhere can you find a “Tales of†title not having a high replay factor, and Tales of Graces F will have you crawling back for more tales about Asbel, Sophie, Cheria, Hubert, Richard and the rest of the stellar cast.
Tales of Graces F is an emotional rollercoaster ride, and an experience that will leave you emotionally spent like no other. With the background that Namco has in terms of delivering the Tales franchise, let’s hope that Namco decides to localize even more “Tales of†games and bring them to Western shores. Purchasing this title will help that cause, as it is well worth it.
By: M. James
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Article was written by myself back in April, a short while after the release of the game on Western Shores.
I absolutely loved the "Tales of" series, ever since I began my embarkation with the phenomenal GCN game;
Tales of Symphonia (Among my Top 3 RPGs I have ever played of All-Time).
It had great 4 player coop action, and I can remember those days of me, my friends and cousins just spending
afternoons after school playing hours upon hours of Tales of Symphonia. Great memories, and although this particular
game didn't have the same multiplayer impact, it was still great.
Buy this game to encourage the developers to bring more Tales games localized to Western areas.
