A Trio of Tales
#22 Tales of Vesperia (Xbox 360) / #21 Tales of the Abyss (3DS) / #20 Tales of Eternia (PS)
Not my absolute favorites of the series, but I find these 3 pretty much on par in terms of quality.
The Tales of series is pretty special to me, my favorite RPG series with its trademark fast paced real time combat system, they are an absolute joy to play, it has had its bumps, but overall they are games I can enjoy multiple times, even at their worst like Graces, only talking about the main titles.
Tales of Eternia is one I got to experience pretty recently and it was worth the investment, it reminds me of another title with a great development of atmosphere and setting, establishes two worlds pretty well and fleshes out their charm and personality, a pretty personal journey between the main characters, brought out by the plentiful character interaction with or without skits, has its frustrating moments (freaking Aifread) but is one of the most charming Tales of out there, 11/10 PS1 english dub ftw too.
Tales of Vesperia, still the prettiest Tales of game, with one stellar soundtrack and a cast of memorable characters that drive the plot forward through their ambitions and goals rather than the plot moving their characters forward, is a pretty set in stone cast, that while not as much development as other entries, manages to make for a pretty engaging storyline regardless, it has some pacing issues in the combat regarding skills unlocks, but once it gets going is great.
Tales of the Abyss, a title that can be pretty divisive due to its characters, if you are in for the ride, it becomes one of the darkest, most emotional and memorable entry in the series yet, Luke fon Fabre, the main character, has one of the best character arcs I have had the pleasure to experience and the whole personal stories that each main character has to settle with one of the villians makes some of the fights even more engaging.
