Tales of Eternia | |
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Developer(s) | Wolfteam (PS) Namco Tales Studio (PSP) |
Publisher(s) | |
Director(s) | Eiji Kikuchi |
Producer(s) | Shinichirō Okamoto |
Designer(s) | Takashi Hasegawa Hiroyuki Suzuki |
Artist(s) | Mutsumi Inomata |
Writer(s) | Sawako Natori |
Composer(s) | Motoi Sakuraba Shinji Tamura |
Series | Tales |
Platform(s) | PlayStation, PlayStation Portable |
Release | PlayStation PlayStation Portable |
Genre(s) | Action role-playing game |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Tales of Eternia [lower-alpha 1] , known as Tales of Destiny II in its original North America release, is an action role-playing game published by Namco as the third main title in their Tales series. Initially released for the PlayStation in November 2000 in Japan, an English version was later released in North America in September 2001. It was developed by members of Telnet Japan's "Wolfteam", who had previously worked on its predecessors Tales of Phantasia and Tales of Destiny . The game's producers gave it the characteristic genre name RPG of Eternity and Bonds (永遠と絆のRPG, Eien to kizuna no RPG). A port was released for the PlayStation Portable handheld in Japan in March 2005, and the PAL region in February 2006.
The game, set in the fantasy world of Inferia, follows the story of a young hunter named Reid Hershel and his friends, Farah and Keele, as they meet a mysterious girl named Meredy who speaks an unknown language. Their subsequent quest to discover her origins leads them across a dimensional boundary to an entirely different realm known as Celestia, where they become involved in an age-old conflict between the two worlds. Tales of Eternia was mostly well-received during its initial release, and sold approximately 873,000 copies worldwide. It would later inspire a 13-episode anime produced by Xebec loosely based on the game's plot.
The game plays similar to other Tales games, following the precedent set by previous role-playing video games in general as well. [4] An overworld map is used to navigate from one location to another in the game's fictional world. Cities and towns, which are populated with NPCs, are valuable sources of information, for either triggering events that move the plot forward, or extra information that fleshes out the game's story and setting. Additionally, city merchants will exchange Gald, the in-game currency, for items or equipment that can be vital to completing the game. Progress can be saved at any time - a first for the series, [5] and the player can also learn recipes throughout the game, using them to cook status-enhancing or healing food out of combat. [6]
Battles with enemies are done through the Linear Motion Battle System, a hybrid fighting system that combines fighting game and traditional role-playing game elements. [6] Movements and attacks are done in real-time, with the fighting being compared to the Street Fighter series. [7] Much like its predecessors, Tales of Eternia gives the player a large degree of control over computer-controlled allies and the techniques they use.
Since the player only directly controls one character at a time, all other characters are governed by the general rules of AI behavior set by the player before and during battle. During battle, the player can switch which character he or she is controlling, while issuing specific orders to other allies to execute certain techniques on command. The action can be paused to use different menus for things such as item. The game's menu screens can be used to organize and uses items, creates new magic spells, develops battle strategies, changes character equipment, and views character statistics. [8] Selected features from the menu screen, such as item use and AI settings, are available in battle, while other aspects are relegated to outside of battle. [8]
The game follows Reid Hershel as he tries to prevent the Grand Fall, a cataclysmic event that would destroy his planet along with that of newly found traveling companion Meredy. Specifically, the Grand Fall entails the violent collision of twin planets Inferia and Celestia. The two planets face one another while being separated by the Orbus Barrier. Interaction between the two planets has been infrequent over the last few centuries despite their proximity; the Bridge of Light linked Inferia and Celestia in the distant past, but the link has been severed for an extensive period of time. The Aurora War, an ancient conflict that set Inferia against Celestia over two thousand years ago, continues to generate persistent mistrust between the two groups. The Orbus Barrier has shown recent signs of weakening and possible collapse due to the actions of an unknown external force.
The journey takes Reid across both planets, as he seeks out those responsible for this movement towards the brink of annihilation.
Tales of Eternia was first announced in a September 1999 press conference by representatives of Namco as the third game in the Tales series, [15] and was later shown in non-playable form at the Tokyo Game Show in March 2000. [16] Character design was handled by artist Mutsumi Inomata, who had previously worked on the game's predecessor Tales of Destiny , and features animated cutscenes by anime studio Production I.G. [15] Namco released a limited special edition of the game in Japan alongside its standard release known as the Tales of Eternia Premium Box (テイルズ オブ エターニア プレミアム ボックス, Teiruzu Obu Etānia Puremiamu Bokkusu), which included character figurines, an art book, and a clock shaped like the character Quickie. [17] Players who preordered the game in participating Sofmap electronics stores also received an alarm clock featuring official artwork of the main cast. [18]
While eventually released under this name in Japan, when released in the North American region, the game was retitled to Tales of Destiny II. [19] Some speculated the game was retitled to avoid trademark infringement on the word "Eternia", owned by Mattel in North America for the Masters of the Universe toyline, but the game's creators stated it was done strictly for brand name and brand recognition reasons; Tales of Destiny was the first of the Tales game to be released in North America, and they wanted to draw a clear connection between the two games. [20] The first game in the Tales series, Tales of Phantasia , released in 1995 for the Super Famicom, was not brought to North America until it was ported to the Game Boy Advance and released later in 2006, so for some time, Tales of Destiny was the beginning of the series for North American audiences. The naming choice would later cause further confusion after the release of the PlayStation 2 game known as Tales of Destiny 2 , a genuine sequel to Tales of Destiny taking place in the same fictional world. [21] Tales of Eternia is not actually directly related to Tales of Destiny, and is a different game from Tales of Destiny 2 for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. [22]
In early 2004, Namco announced a port of Tales of Eternia for the PlayStation Portable handheld under the project codename "T.O.E." [23] A playable demo was featured at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in June, [21] and later at the 2004 Tokyo Game Show the following September. [24] The game itself was largely unchanged, although Namco did manage to greatly reduce loading times, eliminating the need for any "now loading" signs altogether. [22] Graphically, the game was altered to match the PSP's specifications. The field graphics were cropped, and the battles being redone in full widescreen, [25] and the frame rate was improved in the overworld map. [7] The Japanese version was purposefully released on March 3, 2005 (3/3) due to the game being the third unique title in the Tales series. [23]
Namco only published the PSP version of the game in Japan; Ubisoft picked up the game for distribution in Europe, and it went unreleased in North America. [26] The game, which had not been released in Europe prior to the PSP release, retained the Tales of Eternia title, despite Tales of Destiny II being used in the prior English language release in North America. [7]
The music of Tales of Eternia was composed by Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura, who had previously collaborated on the soundtracks to both Tales of Phantasia and Tales of Destiny. [27] Its Japanese theme song, "Flying" was performed by J-Rock group Garnet Crow, [28] which was replaced in the English versions by an original orchestral piece. [29]
An official soundtrack was released in March 2001 by Marvelous Entertainment containing 109 tracks from the game across two discs. [27] One month later in April 2001, Namco released a second soundtrack by Media Factory called Tales of Eternia Remaster Audio (テイルズ・オブ・エターニア リマスターオーディオ, Teiruzu Obu Etānia Rimasutāōdio), which featured the same tracks in slightly better quality and arranged in a more logical order closer to how they appear in the game itself. [30] A five-volume radio drama album series called Drama CD Tales of Eternia (ドラマCD「テイルズ オブ エターニア, Dorama CD Teiruzu Obu Etānia) was released between November 2000 and March 2001 by Movic, [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] as well as a two-volume drama series called Tales of Eternia: Labyrinth ~Forget-Me-Not~ (テイルズオブエターニア Labyrinth~forget-me-not~, Teiruzu Obu Etānia Labyrinth ~Forget-Me-Not~) released from January to February 2002. [36] [37]
Aggregator | Score | |
---|---|---|
PS | PSP | |
Metacritic | 78 / 100 [38] | 82 / 100 [39] |
Publication | Score | |
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PS | PSP | |
AllGame | [40] | N/A |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7 / 10 [41] | N/A |
Eurogamer | N/A | 8 / 10 [7] |
Famitsu | 33 / 40 [42] | 33 / 40 [43] |
Game Informer | 7.75 / 10 [44] | N/A |
GamePro | [45] | N/A |
GameSpot | 7.1 / 10 [8] | N/A |
IGN | 8.5 / 10 [46] | N/A |
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | [47] | N/A |
PALGN | N/A | 9 / 10 [6] |
The Sydney Morning Herald | N/A | [48] |
Tales of Eternia was well received in Japan, earning a 33 out of 40 possible score from Weekly Famitsu based on individual reviews of 9, 8, 8, and 8, earning the publication's Gold Award. [49] In 2006, the magazine's readers voted it the 57th greatest game of all time, and the second highest-ranked Tales title released at that point. [50] It sold over 550,000 copies in Japan by the end of 2000, resulting in Sony Computer Entertainment Japan bestowing a Gold Award at the 2001 PlayStation Awards ceremony for selling over 500,000 copies in the region by April 2001. [51] [52] By December 2007, the game had sold over 873,000 copies worldwide. [53]
The game received "favorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [38] IGN praised the gameplay, citing "a great action-oriented battle system that has no close equivalent in any other game". [46] GameSpot recommended it only to people who value gameplay over graphics, stating "it's a good bit of fun to play" but it "...would not be out of place on the Super Nintendo about eight years ago" regarding graphics. [8] Namco's localization effort was generally seen as sufficient, with the humor of the script translated to the North American audience, but reviewers found the game's voice acting to be deficient and unremarkable. [8] [46] AllGame praised the gameplay, character designs, and 2D graphics, but criticized the game's weaker, less emphasized story, and the voice acting, stating "It isn't that the voice actors do a horrible job, it's just that more often than not, they sound as if they're waiting to get their oil changed instead of on a life-or-death mission." [40]
Like its predecessor, the Japanese PlayStation Portable version of Tales of Eternia received a 33 out of 40 possible score from Famitsu based on scores of 8, 8, 9, and 8. [43] The game sold 80,650 copies in its first week, entering the Japanese sales charts as the second-best selling title during that period, [54] and would go on to sell approximately 398,000 copies worldwide by December 2007. [53]
The PSP version also received "favorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [39] Eurogamer said that the game was "...by far and away the best RPG for the PSP currently on the market (as of April 2006)...", praising the graphics and gameplay, complaining the story felt "cliche" and "rushed". [7] PALGN praised the story of the game, stating, "The story on its own has a few major twists and goes along at a pace that will keep you interested, but it’s not that spectacular, but still has quite a bit of depth" and the game's sense of exploration, stating "That’s one of the best things about Tales of Eternia. Despite being somewhat linear, you can still go your own way. The depth in the story and in the gameplay itself allow you to really play as you wish." [6] In 2012, Game Informer named Farah one of the best characters in the Tales series, calling her "a loveable character with infectious energy." [55]
Tales of Eternia | |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Shigeru Ueda |
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Produced by | Kazuya Watanabe Takatoshi Chino |
Written by | Hiroyuki Kawasaki |
Music by | Takanori Arisawa |
Studio | Xebec |
Licensed by |
|
Original run | January 8,2001 – March 26,2001 |
Episodes | 13 |
A 13 episode anime series produced and animated by Xebec also called Tales of Eternia was inspired by the game;the series originally ran on Japanese television from 8 January 2001 to 26 March 2001. Tales of Eternia was licensed by Media Blasters on 6 July 2002 for North American distribution,but the company's license expired and it was never released in the region. The plot of the anime series is completely unrelated to the story of the original game,but contains common elements including the four main characters,Greater Craymels,and spells. A manga version of the anime was released in 2002.
A massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the world of Tales of Eternia was released on March 3,2006,in only Japan [56] and was active there until March 31,2007. [57] [58] Subscribers were able to play online for free after paying monthly fees up to January 29,2007, [58] until the service ended. [57] Japanese media cited "a declining number of accounts",but the company Bandai Namco Games did not disclose its reasons to shut down the game. [58]
The company partnered with Dwango as of 2004 and performed the game's beta testing in early 2005 before the game's release. [59] The online game's timeline is set around the time when the main characters journey to Celestia. Its gameplay was similar to that of the Tales games but tweaked for the online game. It lets players customize their own characters,and small window boxes appear during players' conversations with each other. The character classes are warriors,skilled at defense against enemy attacks;swordspersons,skilled at attacking;martial artists,skilled at agility and with healing and attack abilities;white sorcerers,with healing and support spells;and magic sorcerers,with attack spells. A party can be formed up to four players,but any player can fight solo. The leader of a party decides whoever can earn experience points and items after battle. The game also features minigames,including one involving cooking with ingredients obtained or purchased during the game. The game required a computer running Windows 98 Second Edition or higher. [60]
The Tales series is a franchise of fantasy role-playing video games published by Bandai Namco Entertainment,and developed by its subsidiary,Namco Tales Studio until 2011 and presently by Bandai Namco Studios. First begun in 1995 with the development and release of Tales of Phantasia for the Super Famicom,the series currently spans seventeen main titles,multiple spin-off games and supplementary media in the form of manga series,anime series,and audio dramas.
Tales of Symphonia is an action role-playing video game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco for the GameCube. The fifth main installment of the Tales series,it was released in Japan on August 29,2003,in North America on July 13,2004 and in Europe on November 19,2004. In Japan,the game was ported for the PlayStation 2 with additional content and was released on September 22,2004.
Tales of Destiny is an action role-playing game originally developed by Telenet Japan's "Wolf Team" as the second main title in Namco's "Tales of" series. Originally released in Japan for the PlayStation in December 1997,an English version was later made available in North America in September 1998. The game features many of the same development staff as its predecessor,Tales of Phantasia,including composers Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura,with character designs by series newcomer Mutsumi Inomata. Its producers gave it the characteristic genre name RPG of Destiny. A remake for the PlayStation 2 was released in November 2006,which was followed by an updated version called Tales of Destiny Director's Cut in January 2008,both exclusive to Japan. The remake was also given its own unique genre name by its producers as RPG called 'Destiny'.
Tales of Legendia is an action role-playing game that was developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2 as the seventh main title in their Tales series. Originally released in Japan in August 2005,it was later made available in English in North America in February 2006. The game was created by a development team known collectively as "Project MelFes",which was composed of members of Namco's Tales Studio along with developers from the company's Tekken and Soulcalibur fighting game series. It features character designs from anime artist Kazuto Nakazawa and music from composer Go Shiina,as well as songs performed by Do As Infinity,Donna Burke,and Kanon. Its producers gave it the characteristic genre name RPG Where Bonds Spin Legends.
Tales of Destiny 2 is a Japanese action role-playing game,co-developed by Wolfteam and Telenet Japan,and published by Namco. It is the fourth main entry in the Tales series of video games,and a direct sequel to 1997's Tales of Destiny. It released on PlayStation 2 (PS2) in November 2002 in Japan,March 2003 in South Korea and August 2003 in China. The overseas versions were published by Sony Computer Entertainment. An updated port for the PlayStation Portable (PSP),developed by Alfa System,was released in February 2007,and March of the same year in South Korea. This version was published by Namco Bandai Games. Neither version has received a western release.
Tales of Rebirth is a Japanese action role-playing game published for the PlayStation 2. It is the sixth main entry of Namco's Tales series of video games. The game was developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco. The game was released for the PlayStation 2 on December 16,2004,and then later re-released on the PlayStation Portable on March 19,2008. Rebirth,set in a world populated by humans (Huma) and beast people (Gajuma),follows the adventures of Veigue Lungberg,a human whose friend Claire Bennett is kidnapped by agents of Agarte,heir to the throne of the kingdom of Karegia. Setting out to rescue Claire,Veigue and those who join him becomes entangled in escalating racial conflicts consuming the land.
Tales of the Abyss is an action role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio as the eighth main title in their Tales series in celebration of the series' 10th anniversary. Originally released for the PlayStation 2,the game was published by Namco in Japan in December 2005,and Bandai Namco Games in North America in October 2006. Its development team included director Yoshito Higuchi,producer Makoto Yoshizumi,and character artist Kōsuke Fujishima. The game features music by series composers Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura,and includes the opening theme song "Karma" by Bump of Chicken,which is replaced with the instrumental version in the western release. Namco has given Tales of the Abyss the characteristic genre name To Know the Meaning of One's Birth RPG. A port for the Nintendo 3DS handheld was released in Japan in June 2011,followed by an Australian and European release in November 2011 and a North American release in February 2012.
Tales of the Tempest is an action role-playing game developed by Dimps and Namco Tales Studio,and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Nintendo DS exclusive in Japan. An entry in the Tales series,it was released on October 26,2006. The game makes use of the Tales series' recurring Linear Motion Battle System,customized so characters and actions can be controlled and determined using the DS touch screen,as well as incorporating multiplayer elements. The opening of the game was made by Production I.G and uses the music VS composed by Koda Misono.
Tales of Mobile is the collective name of several mobile phone-based games,available only to Japanese NTT DoCoMo FOMA 900i cellphone users. The games often feature characters and story elements from the popular Tales role-playing video game series. As these games are offered as a download-only phone service in Japan,none of them have been made available outside Japan.
Tales of Innocence is an action role-playing game,developed and released for the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Vita. Innocence is the ninth main installment in the Tales series,developed by Alfa System and published by Bandai Namco Games. It was released in December 2007. A remake for the Vita developed by 7th Chord,Tales of Innocence R,was released in January 2012. Multiple elements are carried over from previous entries in the series,including the action-based Linear Motion Battle System. Innocence R includes both an updated battle system and additional story content. Both versions remain exclusive to Asia.
Tales of Vesperia is an action role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio. The tenth mainline entry in the Tales series,it was released for the Xbox 360 and published in Japan and North America by Namco Bandai Games in 2008,and in European territories by Atari in 2009. An expanded port of the game for the PlayStation 3 was released in 2009 in Japan. An enhanced version,subtitled Definitive Edition,was released for the Nintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,Windows,and Xbox One in January 2019. The gameplay is similar to previous Tales games,featuring a new version of the series' trademark action-based "Linear Motion Battle System",while also introducing new elements such as online leaderboards.
Tales of Hearts is an action role-playing game released for the Nintendo DS in Japan and the PlayStation Vita worldwide. It is the eleventh main entry in the Tales series,developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Bandai Namco Games. The Japan-exclusive DS version received two editions:the "Anime Edition," featuring cutscenes by Production I.G,and the "CG Movie Edition," featuring CGI cutscenes created by Shirogumi. A remake of the game,Tales of Hearts R,was released on the Vita in March 2013 and later released in western regions in November 2014. Hearts R was also ported to iOS and released in Japan in October 2013 although it was pulled from the App Store on March 31,2016,and therefore no longer available for download. Hearts R was developed by 7th Chord and includes staff from Bandai Namco Studios.
Tales of VS. is a crossover fighting game featuring various characters across the Tales video game series. It was developed by Matrix Software and published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation Portable on August 6,2009 in Japan. It was not localized for release in any other regions.
Tales of Graces is an action role-playing video game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Wii. It was initially only released in Japan in December 2009. It is the twelfth main installment of the Tales series. The game was ported to the PlayStation 3 under the title Tales of Graces f and was released in Japan in December 2010. The PlayStation 3 version was localized and released in English in 2012.
Tales of Xillia is an action role-playing game released exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It is the thirteenth main installment of the Tales series and is developed by Namco Tales Studio with Namco Bandai Games as the publisher. The game was released in Japan on September 7,2011,and was localized in North America and PAL region in August 2013. The game takes place in a fictional world called Rieze Maxia where humans and ethereal spirits live in harmony. It follows Jude Mathis and Milla Maxwell who elude government officials after sabotaging a weapon of mass destruction known as the Lance of Kresnik. The plot's central theme is Yuruginaki shinnen no RPG.
Tales of Xillia 2 is an action role-playing game for the PlayStation 3 released on November 1,2012,in Japan. It is the fourteenth core product in the Tales series and was developed and published by Bandai Namco Games. The game was localized for North America and Europe in August 2014.
Tales of Zestiria is an action role-playing game. It is the fifteenth main entry in the Tales series,developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was released in January 2015 in Japan on the PlayStation 3. For Western release in October of the same year,it was also ported to PlayStation 4 and Windows via Steam. The PS4 version was released in Japan in July 2016. As with previous entries in the Tales series,the game uses a variation of the action-based Linear Motion Battle System,with additional elements including a navigable open world,and the ability for certain characters to fuse into a single entity in battle to deliver powerful attacks.
Tales of Phantasia is an action role-playing video game developed by Wolf Team and published by Namco for the Super Famicom. Originally released only in Japan in December 1995,it is the first title in the Tales series. It was later ported to a number of other platforms,including a Japan-exclusive version for the PlayStation in December 1998 and a Game Boy Advance version published by Namco in Japan in August 2003 and later published by Nintendo in North America and Europe in March 2006,which marked the first time the game was officially available in English. A PlayStation Portable remake known as Tales of Phantasia Full Voice Edition followed in September 2006,featuring full voice acting during story scenes,which was later included with further enhancements as part of Tales of Phantasia:Narikiri Dungeon X in June 2010. The game's producers have given it the characteristic genre name Legendary RPG beginning with the PlayStation version,with the Full Voice Edition given the moniker Legendary RPG Embellished with Voices. An unofficial fan translation of the original Super Famicom version was released on February 12,2001 by Dejap.
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