I've played 4 TALES games counting this one. TALES of Symphonia, Legendia, Abyss and now Vesperia. By far Vesperia is the worst Tales game I've played. There are many things I didn't like about the game.

1. The graphics for this game weren't very good. I expect more in this day and age of game systems and games. It looked like games from the 90s, which isn't bad in it's self. But it's 2008 going on 09 so I expect more visually. If I want that kind of graphics I'll go back and play the old games.

2. The story wasn't captivating. It just didn't keep me intrested in the game. I know they used the enviromental theme for the game. They could have done a much better job with the theme and the story. If you want a great game that tackles that theme get Final Fantasy VII. I had to try real hard to get through the game.

3. The characters were terrible. I wasn't intrested or carred about any of them. Yuri was unintresting and came off as a cold hearted bastered, not good for the lead character of a RPG. Estelle was just boring and I didn't care about her story. Karol and Rita just didn't add anything to the game. Raven started out well in the game and I did like him. I wanted him to stay dead, it was just a great ending for his characted, but now they decided to bring him back to life, what a rip.

The only characters I did like were Judith. I thought Judith and Yuri would get together, they were a much better mach than Yuri and Estelle, and I think it would have made Yuri more intresting, but the creators didn't take the game in that direction. I also liked Repede, he was just a fun character and they way he interacted with the other characters. My favorite character in the game was a minor character and turns out to be on of the bad guys. Yes it's Duke. I really like his story and character. At the end of the game I actually wanted him to win some how, even though I knew it wasn't possible.

4. The music was bad, it just add anything to the game.

5. The ending was just terrible and a total let down. It wasn't worth the money or time I spent on the game.

I am really disappointed with Namco/Bandai. I have really liked the TALES games until this one. It's just really sad.

1. TALES OF ABYSS: 10
2. TALES OF SYMPHONIA: 9
3. TALES OF LEGENDIA: 8
4. TALES OF VESPERIA: 4

Being a first timer for the Tales series of games, I had no idea what to expect from this game. What I did know is that for past games, the Tales series was highly regarded amongst hardcore gamers and generally good quality RPG games all around. So when it came down to it, I had to make a tough decision between this game and Infinite Undiscovery as to which RPG to get in such a close release schedule. Well, I chose the more sure thing in Tales of Vesperia, and I'm happy I made that choice.

First of all, the game has a nice, colorful cell-shaded anime look that definitely goes well for the game. Some people may be turned off to this and look for the more realistic of a Final Fantasy or Lost Odyssey, but like it or not, there is no denying the the game looks good. Fans of past games in the series and anime fans in general will be pleased with how the game has made the jump to this generation of consoles.

Although this is a traditional JRPG in a sense, there is no turn-baded combat to be found. All of the action takes place in real-time. You control one character, while the computer handles your party's actions. The game can come off as a bit of a button masher from first glance, but there is actually more to the battle system once you start to get the hang of of it and learn more about your team and enemies that you face.

For me, grinding always seemed like a necessary evil for RPGs. However, I found the battles to be so fun in this game, that I didn't mind spending that extra time running into random enemies on the overworld map just for kicks and extra experience.

Although I'm not even close to finishing this game, the story so far has been interesting. Its Standard RPG fare so far, but the delivery has been entertaining. You have your main character/characters and along the way you run into other characters that become party members. There's a lot of personality to this group of travelers and the end of every battle is always a treat when more often than not you'll hear a hilarious victory speech. The game is definitely a bit linear, as it tells you where to go next after each major section. However, there is nothing to say that you can't' go off path to do some grinding or exploring on your own.

All in all, I feel that this is definitely another quality JRPG for the 360, and its action focused battle system is a good change of pace for those turned of to the more traditional turn-based type of game. Add in the charming characters, a good story, and lengthy gameplay, and you have yourself one of the best JRPGs on this generation. I suggest any RPG loving 360 owners to give this game a look.

I Love my Tales of Vesperia its been a while sence iv played a good Rpg , I Think the only thing it really lacked was the controls were just not perfect, there is not enouph side quests, and sometimes the story gets long....but all and all i would tell people to go out and get this game in an era were we dont have very good rpg's we need more like this ....go back to the ps1 /snes era we need more of these but if your not an rpg fan you prob wont like this game soo buy with that in mind.

this is a pretty good game that has awesome audio and ok storytelling.
visual wise its a little inconsistent in certain areas, (its no eternal sonata) but it definitely shines when it has to.
i would definitely recommend it to hardcore rpg fans looking for a fix or fans of the series.

the game is not bad all. its cheesy, but than again what rpg isnt. i like the button smashing makes the game more fun. the only weak point its that the game is way too easy. rent dont buy.