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"Being anime" has nothing to do with how bad the writing is in Tales games. The writing is just genuinely, truly terrible in all respects, from plotting to character development (with a few actually interesting exceptions) to dialogue. What makes it stand out even more than usual though is that the skits and stuff that are just incidental character development are - usually - pretty good, or at least well above standard JRPG exchanges including the ones in the non-skit parts of the same drat games. Some of the Tales series's most boring or generic characters end up getting a lot of depth out of the skits, but since you can completely skip or ignore 99% of all skits there's a very good chance you won't ever see those aspects of the characters because they don't actually come up in the primary storyline. In the worst cases it can be kind of jarring or severely weaken a character, especially when it forgets all the things about them that are funny. Granted, your mileage will vary as a lot of the skit humor is itself extremely anime, but not always, and it's often perfectly tolerable even if you're not big on it. It kind of reminds me of Lost Odyssey, where they had an actual writer for the dream sequences and those were pretty decent, but it just ultimately underscored how workmanlike and uninspired the main-game writing (which that writer didn't write) was, and how little the well-written parts had to do with the story or characters in the game. There are people with the talent to write characters who joke around with each other and aren't talking about the (boring, terrible) main plot at all times, but for whatever reason they're not allowed to just write the rest of the game. Or maybe they do and they're only good at exactly one thing, I don't know. RPG writing assuredly isn't easy, but Tales ends up coming across particularly bad because it has examples of better writing that bubble to the surface and then vanish as quickly as they appeared, even if it maybe isn't as bad as things that are just consistently poo poo throughout. It shouldn't necessarily bar you from playing the games for the gameplay though; the plots are stupid so you're free to skip them all, and Xillia 1 in particular is not an incredibly long game if you're just sort of breezing through the script (which you can do, because the game tells you where to go next).
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Apr 1, 2015 19:06
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I have beaten some of the JP ones and the only English release I haven't beaten is Hearts because I already played it on DS. Wait no, Cake Attack has reminded me that Legendia gave a credits sequence somewhere in the middle of the game or something and I thought I had beaten it and stopped.
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Apr 1, 2015 19:06
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I have all but Xillia 2 and the PS1/2 ones and I've beaten... Phantasia.
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Apr 1, 2015 19:07
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I own Tales of Destiny and played about an hour of it before getting bored and quitting.
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Apr 1, 2015 19:13
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Cake Attack posted:i own every tales of game in english and have beaten all of them
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Apr 1, 2015 19:14
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MarsDragon posted:I own Tales of Destiny and played about an hour of it before getting bored and quitting. the encounter rate in that game is probably 4x what it should be.
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Apr 1, 2015 19:46
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i remember liking the attitude and sass of the talking sword but i could never get past the frost lands i got that far twice and could never figure out where to go from there.
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Apr 1, 2015 20:18
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hubris.height posted:i remember liking the attitude and sass of the talking sword but i could never get past the frost lands The dungeons only get worse from there. The Tales requisite "second world" in that game was like a giant dungeon connected by several other dungeons in the most confusing way possible with transporter mazes (I actually love it). Also the segments that weren't random battles but a bunch of enemies running towards you were somehow worse than if it was just random because you would get stuck dogpiled by five guys and have to fight five successive battles before moving on. I love it but it has not aged well.
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Apr 1, 2015 21:03
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If I ever wanted to play Tales of Phantasia, would I be better off with the GBA port over this fan translation?
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Apr 1, 2015 21:25
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I'd never even heard of this game series.
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Apr 1, 2015 21:25
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Codiekitty posted:If I ever wanted to play Tales of Phantasia, would I be better off with the GBA port over this fan translation? Here's a screenshot of the GBA translation  They meant to use "ragnarok" lol Otherwise, GBA translation's solid and the GBA version has more content iirc
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Apr 1, 2015 21:29
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Codiekitty posted:If I ever wanted to play Tales of Phantasia, would I be better off with the GBA port over this fan translation? Either that, or one of the PS1 fan-translations. I don't remember what's different between them anymore. There's also like two PSP remakes with no translation and it was on iOS with freemium poo poo at one point for some damned reason.
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Apr 1, 2015 21:43
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Codiekitty posted:If I ever wanted to play Tales of Phantasia, would I be better off with the GBA port over this fan translation?
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Apr 1, 2015 21:53
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Just play Lightning Returns instead.
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Apr 1, 2015 23:13
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The next generation of SMT anime babes is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKaHMqkjGS8
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Apr 2, 2015 00:57
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Quest For Glory II posted:The next generation of SMT anime babes is here  Always more anime, forever.
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Apr 2, 2015 01:02
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Regardless of aesthetics, when was the last time Atlus made an outright bad RPG? Recently the biggest criticism I've heard is some people thinking that games like DeSu2, Persona Odyssey, and SMT4 weren't as great as other Atlus games.
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Apr 2, 2015 01:05
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Motto posted:Regardless of aesthetics, when was the last time Atlus made an outright bad RPG? Persona 4. Next question.
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Apr 2, 2015 01:10
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Holy gently caress SMT x FE is actually real, thanks Nintendo now I owe some people some money. Honestly looks awesome though.
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Apr 2, 2015 01:21
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Motto posted:Regardless of aesthetics, when was the last time Atlus made an outright bad RPG? Recently the biggest criticism I've heard is some people thinking that games like DeSu2, Persona Odyssey, and SMT4 weren't as great as other Atlus games. It's really subjective since they're so varied and so niche that if you factor out the superfans who like everything, most people don't like most atlus games. Almost every sequel or spinoff has met with pushback from jilted fans who aren't into the new direction or feel like it wasn't as good as the earlier games. Persona 4 is the exception more than the rule. This isn't a new thing either, people were complaining that DDS or Raidou were bad games or the wrong direction for SMT as well.
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Apr 2, 2015 01:37
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Motto posted:Regardless of aesthetics, when was the last time Atlus made an outright bad RPG? Recently the biggest criticism I've heard is some people thinking that games like DeSu2, Persona Odyssey, and SMT4 weren't as great as other Atlus games. Strange Journey
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Apr 2, 2015 01:38
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Motto posted:Regardless of aesthetics, when was the last time Atlus made an outright bad RPG? Recently the biggest criticism I've heard is some people thinking that games like DeSu2, Persona Odyssey, and SMT4 weren't as great as other Atlus games. Having never played another SMT game, is there something wrong with 4? Because I'm like 25 hours into it and am loving it.
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Apr 2, 2015 01:39
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Nakar posted:"Being anime" has nothing to do with how bad the writing is in Tales games. The writing is just genuinely, truly terrible in all respects, from plotting to character development (with a few actually interesting exceptions) to dialogue. What makes it stand out even more than usual though is that the skits and stuff that are just incidental character development are - usually - pretty good, or at least well above standard JRPG exchanges including the ones in the non-skit parts of the same drat games. Some of the Tales series's most boring or generic characters end up getting a lot of depth out of the skits, but since you can completely skip or ignore 99% of all skits there's a very good chance you won't ever see those aspects of the characters because they don't actually come up in the primary storyline. In the worst cases it can be kind of jarring or severely weaken a character, especially when it forgets all the things about them that are funny. Granted, your mileage will vary as a lot of the skit humor is itself extremely anime, but not always, and it's often perfectly tolerable even if you're not big on it.
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Apr 2, 2015 01:39
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you read it?
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Apr 2, 2015 01:40
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GulagDolls posted:your only hope is to go back to the tales games that didn't have any voice acting. even the original SNES version of Phantasia managed to get in one line of VA and a tinny-as-gently caress song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3SA9LuqQgA
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Apr 2, 2015 01:42
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Francis posted:It's really subjective since they're so varied and so niche that if you factor out the superfans who like everything, most people don't like most atlus games. Actually Atlus games have generally gotten more positive receptions and better sales in recent memory than before. The people who complain about a franchise's direction being all wrong are more likely to be the superfans who buy everything, not vice-versa. That's the way of a lot of fandom. The people who are invested enough to bitch about something tend to be the people most engrossed in it and also the people most likely to buy it anyway. People bitching isn't a sign of poor response. Apathy is. If a game is released and nobody gives a poo poo about it that is when something has gone really wrong. Long-term fans complaining that (x) isn't as good as it was when they got into the franchise is Tuesday.
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Apr 2, 2015 01:42
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Francis posted:It's really subjective since they're so varied and so niche that if you factor out the superfans who like everything, most people don't like most atlus games. Yeah, but that's typical hardcore fanbase whining over not every game being exactly the same game that they like over and over. All the spinoffs like Persona, DDS, DeSu, Raidou, as well as other Atlus IPs like Etrian and Radiant Historia have each gathered at least a decent-sized audience that loved them. Motto fucked around with this message at 01:45 on Apr 2, 2015 |
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Apr 2, 2015 01:42
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Semper Fudge posted:Having never played another SMT game, is there something wrong with 4? Because I'm like 25 hours into it and am loving it. I wasn't implying it was bad, I'm saying the worst you can say about it is that many don't like it as much as other good Atlus games like Nocturne.
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Apr 2, 2015 01:43
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Codiekitty posted:If I ever wanted to play Tales of Phantasia, would I be better off with the GBA port over this fan translation? Play it on whatever platform you're comfortable with. Translation quirks aside you're getting the same game experience. Motto posted:Regardless of aesthetics, when was the last time Atlus made an outright bad RPG? Recently the biggest criticism I've heard is some people thinking that games like DeSu2, Persona Odyssey, and SMT4 weren't as great as other Atlus games. Thing is Atlus games cast a wide net even when they're within the same series. You're bound to get someone who likes SMT X but doesn't like SMT Y. Like my sister loves Persona Q having only been exposed to the Persona series but Etrian Odyssey vets think it's a subpar dungeon crawler and that's not a wrong criticism. Semper Fudge posted:Having never played another SMT game, is there something wrong with 4? Because I'm like 25 hours into it and am loving it. People who have no soul don't like Persona 4. Some people swear by 3 but I played 3 after 4 and it's really lacking "heart." Persona 4 was like comfort food for me. It was like being away from home for a long time then returning for Thanksgiving and eating a big feast with family. Next to Earthbound it's the only other game I remember where "THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP AND TOGETHERNESS" really struck a chord for me.
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Apr 2, 2015 01:48
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Persona 3 has atmosphere out the rear end, 4 is like japanese scooby doo. Both are good but for very different reasons.
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Apr 2, 2015 01:49
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FirstAidKite posted:Here's a screenshot of the GBA translation The only possible explanation albeit still funny. Million Ghosts posted:Persona 3 has atmosphere out the rear end, 4 is like japanese scooby doo. Both are good but for very different reasons. More like Persona 3 is Japanese Harry Potter and that's cool if that's your bag. P4 had plenty of atmosphere, it was just more rustic. I grew up in a relatively small town so the power of rumors really resonates with me. After 9/11 and all the powder laced mail people in my town were deathly afraid. My parents refused to let me walk across the street to pick up the paper. I also lived within 5 miles of two of the beltway sniper shootings so we had armed escorts to school. When the fog hits the town and everyone is running around in gas masks and poo poo I thought "this literally could have happened in my town." It triggered a real sense of nostalgia and I will forever love P4 for that.
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Apr 2, 2015 01:54
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Persona 3 is nothing like harry potter
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Apr 2, 2015 01:59
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al-azad posted:People who have no soul don't like Persona 4. Some people swear by 3 but I played 3 after 4 and it's really lacking "heart." Persona 4 was like comfort food for me. It was like being away from home for a long time then returning for Thanksgiving and eating a big feast with family. Next to Earthbound it's the only other game I remember where "THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP AND TOGETHERNESS" really struck a chord for me. I was talking about SMT4.
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Apr 2, 2015 02:08
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Haven't played SMT4 yet so carry on then.Endorph posted:Persona 3 is nothing like harry potter Magical children stumble through dangerous secrets hidden in their school while juggling their studies and deal with the unconcerned adults who are oblivious (either knowingly or not) to the suffering of the student body. C'mon, man.
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Apr 2, 2015 02:13
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al-azad posted:Magical children stumble through dangerous secrets hidden in their school while juggling their studies and deal with the unconcerned adults who are oblivious (either knowingly or not) to the suffering of the student body. C'mon, man. Am I talking about Persona 4, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4, or the loving Recess movie?
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Apr 2, 2015 02:18
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al-azad posted:
There's no Hagrid character and there's no Dumblecoore type guy to act as mentors which where two very big parts of the harry potter allure, not only that the Kids had very normal families hwere as harry had to live under the stairs and had the fat cousin destroy a playstation.
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Apr 2, 2015 02:20
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I also grew up in a tiny poo poo-town and Persona 4 reminded me how much I loving hated it. Also it was just too wacky. I guess 3 is Potter if you squint and put cayenne in your eyes. Nocturne is king of modern Atlus games anyways so this is all moot.
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Apr 2, 2015 02:20
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al-azad posted:Haven't played SMT4 yet so carry on then. Please tell this is a gimmick post about anything becoming anything if you stretch it far enough
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Apr 2, 2015 02:21
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Endorph posted:Am I talking about Persona 4, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4, or the loving Recess movie? To be fair those things get compared to each other a lot. Well not Recess but it should be.
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Apr 2, 2015 02:21
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mycot posted:To be fair those things get compared to each other a lot. Well not Recess but it should be. i remember way too much about recess
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Apr 2, 2015 02:22
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