DESCRIPTION

First released in 1998, Namco's "Tales" series of role-playing games (Tales of Symphonia, Tales of the Abyss) marks its tenth anniversary with Tales of Vesperia on Xbox 360. Featuring characters designed by manga artist Kosuke Fujishima, the game is distinguished by its use of cel-shaded visuals, as players guide a young hero in his unyielding search for justice. The combat system once again offers real-time battles against an assortment of creatures. While earlier games in the series involved fighting against a maximum of four enemies, Vesperia includes as many as eight. Key elements in the battle system include "overlimits," "burst artes," and "fatal strikes."

Overlimits are powerful special moves that can be unleashed once an on-screen meter is filled. This meter builds over time as all four party members perform successful attacks. Burst artes are character-specific attacks initiated by first building the overlimit meter to a second level of power. Fatal strikes are essentially killing blows that involve executing timed button presses to perform a one-shot coup de grâce. As party members gain experience, they will be able to find and create weapons after collecting the requisite number of materials. In addition to the main narrative, players can embark on various side-quests and even win prizes in arena combat. Cinematic cut-scenes help further the story in this animé-flavored RPG. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide