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Tales of Vesperia heads to Europe this June
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-17071%
Tales of the World gets Soulcalibur-themed DLC
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 Vesperia to become anime movie
1UP took note of a tiny blurb in Japanese magazine Kinema Jumpo, which indicates that Namco Bandai is preparing a Tales of Vesperia movie. The animated film will allegedly be the first in the series to hit the the big screen. Tales of Phantasia, Eternia, Symphonia and Aneurismia (not real) have all received linear animated media releases, but not in theaters. The Japanese version will feature voice talent from the game, but there's no word if the same is planned for an international version. 1UP speculates that the film could be used to cross-promote a PS3 version of Vesperia. We don't know about that, but Namco Bandai did eventually take its Xbox 360 exclusive, Eternal Sonata, to the PS3.
Tales of the World & PES 2009 dominate Japanese sales charts
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
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
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-34578%
A Tale of Two Tales
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]
Vesperia helps Xbox 360 outsell PS3 in Japan
We're not thinking it's another sign of the Apocolypse because we've seen it happen before, but we're always a little unnerved whenever the Xbox 360 outsells the PS3 in Japan. Thanks to the release of Namco Bandai's Tales of Vesperia, the Xbox 360 moved 25,000 units the week of August 10, up from 5,359 units the week prior. The PS3 sold 9,673 and, of course, the Wii beat both with 38,506 -- but that's not really news. Tales of Vesperia debuted at fourth place on the Japanese sales charts with 108,000 copies sold. The game will be available in North America starting August 26. We doubt the game will help rally mundane Xbox 360 sales in the US.
Tales of Vesperia gets special edition treatment
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
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
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?
Namco trademarks newest Tales name in North America
Fans of the Tales series, it would appear the possibility of the latest DS title, Tales of Hearts, to come to North America has become a bit more plausible. Thanks to Spencer over at Siliconera, we have word that Namco has trademarked the term for North America? Coincidence? We think not!So, it would seem that eventually the game should be making its way to our shores. Until then, we'll just sit back, relax and wait for an official announcement.
All videos and no play makes Tales a wanted game
You don't have time to be reading this. In fact, by spending valuable seconds reading this very sentence, you have wasted enough time to insult these new Dawn of the New World trailers by not giving them your undivided attention. This massive RPG loves spamming fans with countless videos, and we don't like it. It's a tease. Still, we keep coming back and absorbing everything associated with the sequel to the best RPG on the GameCube. Anyway, what are you still doing here? Hit the jump for plenty more Tales goodness right now!%Gallery-5354%
Tales of Vesperia demo available on NA Xbox marketplace
In between everything else going on, turns out the Tales of Vesperia demo is now available on the North American Xbox Live marketplace. Granted, we've only been waiting a couple weeks for this game to come out, but for JRPG fans, they could just have easily come up with a new game: Tales of Waiting for Vesperia demo. Sure, that's long, but we've heard worse titles. [Thanks to those who sent this in.] %Gallery-17071%
Tales of the World 2 debut trailer
It's time for more fanservice! Tales of the World 2 looks to bring even more traditional Tales battles to the handheld. The original looked good, but this sequel looks visually better in our eyes. With free DLC, and tons of characters, this RPG looks like it'll sweep the Japanese charts yet again.
Tales of Hearts: the full monty
The recent press event for the Tales series gave us a brief glimpse at the world within Tales of Hearts, the latest lamentable stunner from Namco Bandai. Stunner because it looks gorgeous, lamentable because the chances of gamers seeing it in North America are slim to none. Regardless, the full TOH trailer has been commandeered in the video above, so hit play and enjoy the fruits of an unattainable RPG.The environments themselves look stunning (especially the CG), but the characters are still colorful little sprites. One can argue the power of sprites in almost any game, and they certainly command some charm in Tale of Hearts. Is the contrast between 3D levels and 2D characters too off-putting? Not really -- but let us know if your eyes start bleeding.[Via Nintendo Everything]
Tales of the World 2 is a 'RPG made for you'
A few more details about Tales of the World 2 were revealed today. The upcoming PSP sequel will be developed by Alfa System, the team responsible for both the first Tales of the World game and the PSP Phantasy Star Portable. According to producer Ryuuji Ohdate, the sequel is an "RPG made for you," as it's mostly constructed by user feedback.The number of characters in the game has been upped from 19 to 49, and the new character creation system is far more expansive than ever. Just like Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, the title will feature regular free DLC -- a tactic that has worked marvelously for Capcom.[Via PSPHyper]
'Mothership' Tales game coming to Wii in 2009
Yesterday's Namco Bandai press conference revealed media for new Tales RPGs on DS and PSP, and announced a Tales of the Abyss anime series. But outside of their 2008 lineup, series manager Makoto Yoshizumi announced that a new Tales game would be released on Wii in fiscal 2009. The new game is to be the latest in their "Mothership" Tales series from Namco Tales Studio, rather than a port, remake, or side story. The good news, then, is that as a high-prestige title, it's more likely to be localized. We expect that Namco Bandai will continue to focus their promotion on Tales of Hearts and the other new games, so we'll have to wait a bit for specifics on this new Wii game. We've still got Tales of Symphonia 2 to look forward to anyway.%Gallery-5354%
'Tales of a series' event births new footage
At a promotional event in Japan for all things Tales, a number of guest speakers showcased plenty of new ideas and media for the groin-grabbingly popular RPG franchise. Some footage from the upcoming Tales of Hearts was featured along with running commentary, but our general stupidness prevents any translation. However, you can still see the game in action, as the charming little sprite characters duke it out in a beautifully detailed world.This is self-inflicted pain. If you allow yourself to get excited over each superb entry in the Tales series, you'll wind up cold and alone. There's nothing more depressing than a neglected RPG.[Via NeoGAF]
Larger than tiny Tales of Hearts screens
Scavenging for screens of rare and awesome DS games in the making is a tedious yet rewarding task. Oftentimes one will be granted a tiny sample of media from an upcoming RPG, while sometimes being rewarded with decent scans from the best game ever. What's the second-best game ever? Tales of Hearts, that's what -- and we have a couple of new screens that fit right around the middle size-wise.Along with the rather colorful display right here, you can check out another dialogue shot after the jump. The Japanese has us scratching our heads stupidly, but the game itself looks good. Tales of Hearts is scheduled for a Q4 2008 release date in Japan, and we want it. In the meantime, check out the empty, pretty official site.
