A Tale of Two Genres - Vesperia Breaking J-RPG Mold?

He clutched the controller, its adornments now clammy to the touch. The incessant whirring of mechanisms were reaching their crescendo - an ululation that could shake the very foundations of even the most ardent resolves.



His sweaty brow quivered before adopting a steely and austere resolve. With a terminal burst of light from the TV set, the words came into clear view; 'Tales of Vesperia' - There was no going back now.

And thats exactly how my first time playing Tales of Vesperia went. Honest.

But seriously, I'm starting to approach double digit play-hours now, and TOV is offering up some surprising new...surprises.

First and foremost, for newcomers to the tales series. ToV (Tales of Vesperia) is the latest in the long line of J-RPG's from TECMO. Players assume the form of 'Yuri Lowell' our male protagonist and former Imperial Knight with an apathetic nature towards the Imperial Empire - a powerful presence in the worlds many continents.

The biggest surprise to note:

Yuri is actually kind of cool, for your average J-RPG lead. Sure, the character design has an androgynous influence, which may even seem alien to those who have yet to penetrate the Japanese Manga/Anime culture, but for a J-RPG vet such as myself, this goes largely unnoticed, its what we signed up for. What splits Yuri from the pack is his personality, it makes for a welcome and refreshing change from the archetypical Fanboy hero. He's a go-getter, sure-of-himself badass with an attunement to the wellbeing of others, which delightfully, doesnt come across as overly-vivacious, as is the tendency for your Johnny Average shounen male (I'm looking at you, Naruto).

Thats not to say the game escapes stereotypes of the genre. The Voice Acting itself isnt bad, but suffers under the tendrils of the script - a force known to reach Saturday Morning Cartoon levels of cringe'worthy. This is intentional of course, Tecmo probably believes there just isnt a market for a more mature take on J-RPGs in the West, and so treats the world they've crafted with kid gloves, but the experience doesnt suffer terribly from this. To be sure, the story loses some of its Dire-ness, but the quality of the actors themselves help remedy this to some degree, there's life in the voices - and they fit the characters more or less. They're cliché, but its cliché at its finest.

The next nugget of the unexpected was the difficulty, Goldilocks knows when something is just right, and apparently she works at TECMO. Newcomers and grizzled vets alike are catered for, battle difficulty can be changed at any time during the game at your convenience. The various settings do just what they say on the tin; Easy Mode - so paltry your mum could clock it, Normal Mode - a modest offering, and Hard Mode, a crucible so impenetrable it makes insurance on your gamepads an essential purchase. I am speaking from experience.

Of course, being only 10 or so hours in, we cant be dealing with certainty's here. The shell has been breached, and brave men scale its inner core. The experience could be all downhill from here, or perhaps, J-RPG Nirvana lies in wait.

We'll have to see.

-Ari Read more!

First Impressions: Persona 4 (Ps2)

Persona 4 - another digit-stacking addition to an already aging franchise, was released in the UK last Friday (13/03). How does the latest Atlus RPG contribution fare on its arguably outdated platform?

After my PS3 in all its next-gen glory spat the disc out in violent disgust, I was forced to retrieve my dated PS2 from the depths of the Console Purgatory that is my attic. Like Frankensteins monster I re-assembled the various components, following closely the advice written in the scriptures. Ok Ok, the game...

The first thing that struck me about Persona 4 was the setting, I had for one reason or another neglected the previous Shin Megami Tensai titles in the series, and I'm beginning to wish that I hadn't.

Persona 4 paints Japan with a degree of style, authenticity and attention to detail that is rarely seen in other J-RPG's. On top of that, the characterisation and art style grants the game a charm which makes it instantly engrossing. Interlaced throughout the *LENGTHY* introductory game period (The player has little or no affect on the proceedings of the game for about 2 hours of play-time) are high quality anime sequences with surprisingly decent dubbing.

The plot is fairly generic, fans of Shounen Anime will be instantly at home, for outsiders, the premise is this: You are an enigmatic, blank slate-esque kid with a secret power un-beknown even to you. You are staying with a relative in a new town and your about to have some adventures, so you may as well look forward to them.

The crux of the game is to solve a mysterious serial murder case that is dominating the local town of Inaba, you have one year, on a calender. Each day is broken down into periods in which various activities will be available to you and it is up to you to manage your time in the most productive way possible.

I realise this sounds incredibly boring ala "Lifestyle Manager 2009" but honestly, you will become immersed in the protagonists life quickly, planning activities days ahead of time. All things factor into what unfolds in your scenario, the weather is of crucial importance to the mystery as are the friends and duties you establish throughout your day-to-day life.

Combat in Persona 4 is fun and quite challenging at times, encounters are not strictly random but are infinite for those that like a grind, while being easily avoidable for those that don't. Character, or rather Persona customisation is deep and rewarding, and there are various difficulty modes.

Without a doubt the most engrossing aspect of the game so far (5 hours in) is the setting and plot line, but a highly developed battle system combined with a fantastic calender based time-scale makes for a driven and immersive game, watch this space.

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