Namco Bandai’s Tales of Graces f is an HD-port of Tales of Graces , a Wii game that was released back in 2009. It features essentially the same game content with upgraded visuals, plus a complete extension ( f in the game title refers to Future ) called “Lineage and Legacies”. I have to admit that I haven’t played a lot of Tales of games prior to this one; the only other I played is Tales of Symphonia for the Gamecube a few years ago, and I wasn’t really a fan of the series back then. However, after a few hours in this really cool Action-JRPG, I was really impressed by how fun this game is! Tales of Graces f Opening Cinematic Story [Spoiler-free] The story focuses on Asbel, the young heir of the Lhant family, and his friends. The prologue takes place while all the main characters and their friends are children and gives an insight on both their backgrounds and their own motivations. After a few hours, the story fast forwards a few years in the future, when the characters are young adults. This is when the main story takes place. At first, friendship is the story-driving element, but it soon unfolds to a greater scale, where Ephenia — the planet — is at risk. It might sound like a typical Japanese-RPG, but the story is very well-written and will keep you up later than usual! Gameplay Tales of Graces f features a fast-paced Action-RPG battle system that is easily the greatest highlight of the game! Your battle party consists of four characters, one of which you control. Each party member has is own attack pattern, so switching from a character to another completely changes the battle gameplay. Enemies are always visible on the field (no random encounters) and most of them can be avoided if you want to go quickly from point A to point B. As for the battle system itself, your attacks consist of “Attack” and “Burst” Artes, and can be fully customized to your liking by assigning them to buttons on the controller. An awesome feature is how you can change the assignments in real-time right in the heat of the battle when you realize your setup needs adjustments for a specific enemy. Each attack requires a set amount of CC (stamina), and attacks can be chained until your available CC runs out. A chained attacks uses more CC than the previous one, but they also yield more damage. Luckily, it replenishes very quickly in battle while guarding or by moving. This is great because it prevents the battle system from falling into button mashing and requires strategy! Finally, for those of you who like to play with friends, Tales of Graces f offers a much welcomed local multiplayer feature in which each player can control a different party member. Battle difficulty can also be raised if you want more of a challenge, up to 4 levels harder than the default. Rising the difficulty gives more Experience, Skill Points and rare item drops, so there are plenty of good reasons to switch! Content Another big highlight of the game is the sheer amount of content it includes! The world is huge, and when a typical JRPG title would last around 25-35h, this game features a 60h-long campaign, plus a ton of side-quests. It even comes with a 10h in-disc extension called “Lineage & Legacies” that becomes available once the main quest has been completed. There are also a lot of optional and hidden cut-scenes that are often related to the story progression or that appear randomly at the battle victory screen. Some of them are really humorous and actually made me laugh! This game even includes a very easy to use “Dualizing” system, which allows you to mix two items to create a totally new one! Audio / Video In Tales of Graces f , Japanese culture is really prominent. The game features cut-scenes, videos and characters all in anime. The characters are likeable and their voice acting is also usually very good. However, there are no options to switch the voices back into their original version, which was quite a deception. The soundtrack is both good and expansive! For example, each continent has its own field and battle theme. The rendering engine uses cell-shading and is as beautiful as it is polished. Landscapes are gorgeous, frame rate is rock-solid and transitions from field to battle are instantaneous. There are a few loading times when switching from one zone to another, but they’re minimal thanks to the game installation on the PS3. Final thoughts It had been a while since I played a game with such a strong story and with a fun and rewarding battle system. With a gorgeous game engine, a campaign lasting around 70h, local multiplayer and lots of unlockables, everything in Tales of Graces f has been done with the player in mind. Namco Bandai delivered an awesome game, and I can’t wait for more iterations of the Tales of series on the PS3. Review Pros Cons Lots of content on a single disc, 70h+ campaign Extremely pleasant, progressive and rewarding battle system Interesting and well-told story Local multiplayer and adjustable difficulty No Japanese voices available Rating 90% Cost: $59.99 You can purchase Tales of Graces f from Amazon.com here . Disclaimer Total amount of time played: 74 hours. Game was completed before writing this review. This review is based off of a retail copy of the game purchased by reviewer

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[PS3 Review] Tales of Graces f

Starting today until May 22 , Ubisoft is launching massive discounts on selected PSN and PS3 titles. There will be a %30 discount on over 30 titles and DLC. PlayStation Plus subscribers will be treated into a %50 discount, some fantastic 2D adventures like: Outland and Scott Pilgrim are going for only $4.89 each ! Here is the full list of discounted Titles and DLC: From Dust – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49 Outland – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99 Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49 Beyond Good & Evil HD – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99 Scott Pilgrim – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99 Prince of Persia Classic – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99 Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood – PlayStation Plus price $14.69; Sale price $20.99 Assassin’s Creed 2 – PlayStation Plus price *$9.79; Sale price $13.99 Assassin’s Creed – PlayStation Plus price *$9.79; Sale price $13.99 Far Cry 2 – PlayStation Plus price *$9.79; Sale price $13.99 Call of Juarez 2 – PlayStation Plus price *$9.79; Sale price $13.99 Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands – PlayStation Plus price *$9.79; Sale price $13.99 Prince of Persia (2008) – PlayStation Plus price *$9.79; Sale price $13.99 Prince of Persia Classic Trilogy HD – PlayStation Plus price $19.59; Sale price $27.99 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49 Prince of Persia: Warrior Within – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49 Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49 Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood – Da Vinci Disappearance DLC – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99 Assassin’s Creed 2 – Battle of Forli DLC – PlayStation Plus price $1.95; Sale price $2.79 Assassin’s Creed 2 – Bonfire of Vanities DLC – PlayStation Plus price $3.42; Sale price $4.89 Far Cry 2 – Fortunes Pack DLC – PlayStation Plus price $2.44; Sale price $3.49 Call of Juarez 2 – Old West Map Pack DLC – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99 Prince of Persia (2008) – Epilogue DLC – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99 Scott Pilgrim – Knives Chau Add-On Pack DLC – PlayStation Plus price $0.97; Sale price $1.39 Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines (PSP) – PlayStation Plus price $9.79; Sale price $13.99 Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Complete Edition (includes Da Vinci Disappearance, Animus Project Update 1, Animus Project Update 2 and Copernicus Conspiracy Missions) – PlayStation Plus price $14.99; Sale price $24.99 Far Cry 2 Complete Edition (includes Fortune Pack) – PlayStation Plus price $11.99; Sale price $19.99 Prince of Persia (2008) Complete Edition (includes Epilogue) – PlayStation Plus price $11.99; Sale price $19.99 Scott Pilgrim Complete Edition (includes Knives Chau Add-On Pack) – PlayStation Plus price $4.79; Sale price $7.99 Call of Juarez 2 Complete Edition (includes Old West Map Pack) – PlayStation Plus price $11.99; Sale price $19.99 You still here? What you waiting for?

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Ubisoft Massive Sale on PSN Today

The Day is finally upon us when Demon’s Souls’ servers will be shut down. No more extensions by Atlus. May 31st will be the last time you can invade someone’s game and destroy them right before their boss fight. Atlus VP of Sales had this to say in an official statement sent to Game Informer: On October 6, 2009, North American gamers’ expectations of what an online roleplaying experience could be were forever changed. With Demon’s Souls, gamers received a title of breathtaking scope and vision, a project built on experimental cooperative and competitive multiplayer concepts, offering users both direct and indirect methods of communication and interaction. Elements of every connected player’s single player world carried into the worlds of others, sometimes as nothing more than an echo or afterimage, and other times in the form of an alliance or invasion. With countless hazards to memorize and plan for spread across each of the game’s sprawling dozen-plus worlds, the ability for players to leave hints—or, potentially, deceptions—and to view the final moments of other adventurers’ lives, created an unprecedented form of RPG crowd-sourcing that remains revolutionary to this day. . When subtle interactions were insufficient assistance, players could call across dimensions for assistance, pulling the weakened spirit forms of other adventurers—unable to communicate using conventional voice chat in order to preserve the game’s intense atmosphere—into their worlds to help them defeat the game’s unforgettable boss monsters. Other less altruistic spirit form users could invade the world of living adventurers and try to revive themselves by quite literally stealing that life from another. All of these online elements, all of the ways in which gamers would interact with each other, served to enhance and complement the core game and were designed so as to neither diminish nor distract from the experience and thrill of simply playing the game. . It has been a tremendous honor and privilege for all of our staff at ATLUS to have been involved with so innovative and groundbreaking an interactive entertainment experience. We poured our heart and soul into every facet of our involvement with Demon’s Souls, particularly the title’s memorable Deluxe Edition, which served as the only avenue through which to purchase the game’s official strategy guide. It was also of the utmost importance for us to sustain the game’s online experience as long as possible, even beyond the point at which sales could help to offset the expense. Regrettably, the online servers cannot be sustained forever and now the end draws near. . Thank you to the unparalleled passion and support of the Demon’s Souls community throughout these last two and a half years. The online adventure may end soon, but the memory of it—just like that of every boss strategy, every level floor plan, and hidden secret—lives on in the gamers for whom the game was so special. I have to applaud Atlus for keeping the servers alive this long. Luckily, Demon’s Souls can be completed to 100% offline. You just wont have the uneasy feeling of Black Phantoms invading, but is that really a bad thing? Source: GameInformer

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Demon’s Souls Servers to be Shut Down Next Month

During my Daily news dosage, I came across two lovely videos on CAPCOM’s latest Eastern RPG, Dragon’s Dogma. OXM editor Matt Lees explains in the first video a new feature called the Pawn system, which I personally thought is the most innovative feature I’ve seen in a video game in the past 10 years. There is also a second guide video on the classes and skills that you’ll find very interesting. Videos are after the jump. Guide to the Pawn System Guide to Classes and Skills Dragon’s Dogma is scheduled for release on May 22nd, 2012.

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Dragon’s Dogma OXM Featured Videos

Here is a brand new trailer for the forthcoming Game of Thrones RPG. I have great hopes for this game and pray it doesn’t disappoint. Epic music? Fantastic voice acting? Visceral action? Swords hitting things? People screaming? One guy (safely) lighting himself on fire? That’s either someone describing a typical Thursday at the ATLUS offices, or an apt summary of what folks will find when they check out the new “This is War” trailer for the upcoming “Game of Thrones” RPG. “Game of Thrones” is currently scheduled to release on May 15.

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Game of Thrones: This Is War Trailer

Vic Ireland from Gaijinworks, and MonkeyPaw Games have decided to join forces, and bring us a great opportunity to show our support for the idea of bringing “Japan-only” RPGs to this side of the pond. MonkeyPaw Games has been hard at work securing the rights to several titles for the PSX that, up until recently, had been sentenced to a “import from Japan” fate. And Vic Ireland has been doing this for yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaars. Wait, what? You don’t know who Vic Ireland is? For shame! For those of us that were fortunate enough to own a PSOne many, many years ago, Vic Ireland’s Working Designs was a godsend. Several games that had been released on the Sega CD (an attachment that allowed the Genesis to play CD based games), as well as others that had been hit with the dreaded “Japan-only” stick, were brought to the PSOne by Working Designs. And they did so in style. That right there is the Collector’s Edition for Lunar: Eternal Blue, a box filled to the top with collectibles, great artwork, a soundtrack CD, a pendant, and even a Hardcover Instruction booklet/artbook. Looks great, right? Well, I’m proud to own that one, along with the CE for Arc the Lad Collection and their final release: Growlanser Generations CE. After this, Working Designs had to go into the sunset, but with a new day came a new chance to make a change: Vic Ireland started Gaijinworks, a company that would carry on with the legacy of Working Designs while, at the same time, acknowledging the changes that digital releases have brought to the industry. Kickstarter has proved that when fans crave and desire a specific product, and you bring it to them, they will open up their wallets. Double Fine found success with their “we’re making an old-school point and click adventure game”, and Brian Fargo is now working on a sequel to Wasteland. Vic Ireland and MonkeyPaw Games are now askign for your money to open up the flow of JRPG releases, and their first release will be Class of Heroes 2 for the PSP . There are several levels for your pledges, and the higher you go, the better the rewards. The centerpiece of it all is a physical, UMD release of Class of Heroes 2, complete with a CE to do he game justice. Vic Ireland himself has this to say: We’re offering a Physical Deluxe Pack of Class of Heroes II for the PSP® system that will be the craziest Deluxe Pack we’ve ever done. And if you know our work at Working Designs, that’s a pretty high bar already. This will NOT have digital content you download. It will NOT have codes for in-game armor or weapons. It will NOT have a picture flip book passed off as an art book. It will not ship with DLC on the disc you have to pay for again later. It will NOT come in a tin box passed off as Steelbook. It will NOT be what’s usually advertised as a Collector’s Edition in 2012 – a wimpy, atrophied shadow of what a real Deluxe Pack should be. It will be an awesome Deluxe Pack with real, collectible, limited, awesome stuff based on the game, including an arranged soundtrack. Please, go over to their Kickstarter page and start making your pledges, so we can finally return to a golden age when THIS is how a Collector’s Edition looked like:

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Gaijinworks and MonkeyPaw Games Bring Us: Class of Heroes 2 – the Kickstarter!

After teasing us about it on twitter with some very creative pics , XSEED Games has officially confirmed that they are bringin Unchained Blades to the US! Originally released as UnchainBlades ReXX in Japan last summer and developed by FuRyu, Unchained Blades is a role-playing game set in a monster-filled world, and was directed by Toshio Akashi of the Lunar series, while the game’s story was penned by Grandia series veteran Takashi Hino. “We at XSEED Games are delighted with the opportunity to bring a title like Unchained Blades to North American gamers,” said Ken Berry, Director of Publishing at XSEED Games. “Unchained Blades represents a collaboration between some of Japan’s most high-profile developers and artists, offering a unique blend of classic RPG gameplay paired with an eclectic mix of art styles.” We’ll be able to get the game later in the year, as a digital-only release (as was the case with their last PSP release, Corpse Party) to enjoy either on PSP, PSP GO or Vita. I’ll be sure to let you know about the release date and price as soon as they tell me about it!

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Unchained Blades to be Published by XSEED Games

Major Setup Warning When you first turn on the Vita, it needs to do a system update. DO NOT use your existing PSN/SEN login until after the update is done and you’ve passed the initial setup step. If you logically choose to use your existing PSN/SEN login, then the Vita will error saying you need to install the system update first. But you can’t install the system update until you’ve passed those setup screens. This is basically a major setup bug with an easy workaround. I spent hours frantically trying to get this thing to update via the PS3 and my Windows laptop (you don’t need either) before I posted my issue online, and figured out the simple but illogical workaround. Control Impressions Having hybrid controls — both console sticks/buttons and smartphone touch/tilt — is amazing. Touch works so much better for any type of menus or item management screen. Physical buttons and sticks are critical for action mechanics. The back-touch is brilliant for touch control when you don’t want to hide the screen with the player’s finger. One wish list item: the sticks and buttons are rather small. The biggest problem is that the analog sticks have limited range and precision. I’m hoping the Vita gets some quality aftermarket stick extenders (like these ). Actually, stick extenders are completely inevitable. A second wish list item: why don’t games allow tilt to look? Have you used Google Sky Maps where you physically move your phone or tablet and it acts like a virtual window to see the stars? Why can’t they have games like that, where you move the Vita itself to see into the game, rather than using an analog stick? Non-Gaming App Impressions The web browser is way better than PS3, but still way behind a decent smartphone. That seems to be a general pattern. My Android phone does all the non-gaming functionality much better, but I’m still glad the Vita has usable versions of these apps. OS Impressions The OS is generally much nicer than PS3/360. A phone-style touch screen centric interface is much easier than XMB. Jumping in and out of a game is lightning responsive, but starting a download, or activating any network feature seems sluggish. Still, this is a big improvement over the PS3. Wishlist: Don’t show games in the main browse area that require a cartridge to play when the cartridge isn’t installed. Personally, I’m buying most of my games as downloads so I don’t have to deal with this. Game Impressions Stardust is the perfect starter game for me, because it’s so familiar and still fun to play. It has a lot of improvements since the PS3 version. The optional “Delta” controls are silly, but the core game controls are perfect. The main action controls are just like PS3, the Vita’s small analog sticks work perfectly, and this game adds a subtle tilt-look effect and touch-screen menus. This has tons of cool game modes and is a very content rich title. Lumines is the best in the series. They added some really mind blowing graphic effects to the different skins. For a falling block game, I really didn’t expect amazing visuals like this. There are tons extras, modes, leveling RPG mechanics that I have only started to scratch the surface of. $35 (on PSN) seems like a lot of a Lumines game, but there’s definitely a lot of content and depth here. Escape Plan is a clever puzzler that uses the touch + back touch in a natural and fun way. So far it’s a great puzzler. Uncharted looks technically amazing. I’m not in the mood for an action adventure game, but this is a nice game to see the graphical potential and polish of the Vita. Overall, a great launch lineup. Stardust and Lumines are established franchises, but these iterations have deep improvements and are surprisingly content-rich; usually launch games are simpler, shallower experiences. 2012 has a really strong lineup ahead. Personally, I’m dying to play Motorstorm RC, Sound Shapes, LittleBigPlanet, and possibly Gravity Rush. Additionally, I’m hoping to see some of the great third party 2012 titles show up on Vita as well.

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Vita Impressions

Here is the first trailer for the upcoming RPG based on the internationally bestselling book series “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R. R. Martin and critically acclaimed HBO television series, Game of Thrones. Narrated by Lord Commander Jeor Mormont of the Night’s Watch — voiced by series star James Cosmo, who also lent his likeness to the game — the new trailer (“The Wall”) introduces viewers to the bitter cold and solitude of the massive barrier of ice that stretches across the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms, protecting it from the wild lands beyond. Each member of the Night’s Watch, the order of black-garbed soldiers tasked with patrolling and guarding The Wall, must swear a solemn, life-long oath to the order, one punishable by death should it be broken. The trailer offers ample evidence of the game’s dedication to authenticity and to properly capturing the grit and drama the beloved fantasy series is famous for. Also launching today is the full official North American website for “Game of Thrones,” which guides visitors through the key locations featured in the upcoming RPG. Guests can explore and discover key characters and events that will shape their journey, as well as learn about unique game features and more. Visitors can also choose to take on mini-quests to receive web-exclusive content. The website is a must-visit for series fans and gamers eager to experience the upcoming RPG, and will reward repeat visitors as it opens new location-based sections over time. “Game of Thrones” is currently scheduled to release in early 2012 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. For more information, visit http://gameofthrones-thegame.com . Expect frequent news updates, content additions, and more between now and the game’s release!

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Game of Thrones RPG Trailer

Here is the first in a series of “Making Of” videos for Deep Silver and Piranha Bytes’ Risen 2: Dark Waters: In this first episode, developer Piranha Bytes talks about the creation of Risen 2′s worlds and the inspiration behind a pirate focused RPG adventure. This game is shaping up to look very good, and I can’t wait to see more. Gothic 1 and 2 were both very good, and hopefully Piranha Byte’s has just improved on those games.

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Risen 2: Dark Waters “Making Of” Video