Tales of Xillia localization revealed at Japan Expo [update: coming in 2013]
During a Namco Bandai "fan conference" at Japan Expo (which you can watch live right now) the publisher announced plans to release the tales "flagship" game Tales of Xillia in the west. Namco UK's Tales account made the announcement public. No specific date has been announced for the Western version, but the account has specifically said the game will come to America as well as Europe.
In Japan, Tales of Xillia was released in September 2011, as a PS3 exclusive. A sequel was already announced for that region, due this year.
Update: A press release from Namco Bandai Games America (after the break) gives a 2013 release date to the North American release.
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NAMCO BANDAI GAMES AMERICA INC. ANNOUNCES TALES OF XILLIA™ FOR PLAYSTATION®3 SYSTEM
The Latest Tales of Title Makes its Way to North America in 2013
SAN JOSE, Calif., (July 6, 2012) – Leading video game publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced that it will be bringing the Tales of Xillia™ brand to North America exclusively for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. The latest in the acclaimed Tales of Japanese role-playing game franchise, Tales of Xillia lets players enter the world of Rieze Maxia in a tale of unwavering convictions. Tales of Xillia will be available throughout North America in 2013.
"The recent success for this year's releases of Tales of the Abyss® and Tales of Graces™ f has helped make localizing Tales of Xillia for North America one of the easiest decisions we have ever made," said Carlson Choi, VP of Marketing for NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. "The latest game in this prolific series gives gamers a brand new world and cast of characters to get lost in along with its celebrated battle system that has yet to be rivaled by other Japanese RPGs."
Tales of Xillia follows Jude Mathis, a clever medical student attending school in the capital city, and Milla Maxwell, a mysterious woman accompanied by four unseen beings. Players will be able to choose either Milla or Jude at the outset of their adventure through the world of Rieze Maxia, where humans and spirits live together in harmony. The kingdom of Rashugal has been experimenting with a powerful device that has been draining the mana from the world. Realizing the harm it is inflicting on the world, Milla and Jude set off on a journey to destroy it and restore the mana back to the world. Over the course of the game their lives will intersect with a vast ensemble of characters that will teach them the strength of unwavering conviction.
Players will engage enemies with the critically acclaimed Linear Motion Battle System that the Tales of series is famous for. The system allows for real-time movement and attacks, giving the player a more tactile role in the midst of fights. The battle system in Tales of Xillia has been upgraded to Double Raid Linear Motion Battle System to let two characters combine their attacks to utilize devastating dual-character attack, letting fans strategize the best party setup for their style of play.
Tales of Xillia will be available in 2013 for North America on the PlayStation 3 system. Please visit http://www.facebook.com/tales and http://www.namcobandaigames.com for more information about Tales of Xillia and the Tales of franchise.
