JEMC said:
I've thought many times to get into the "Tales of" games, but I've never done it. I think I even asked here which would be the best game in the series to play first, but given that I don't remember if I asked it or not, it's fair to assume that I don't know which game would that be.
And let's be honest, knowing you all, that question would probably end with three replies and 4 game names.
In any case, that would be come later, as I still have to start again (and this time finish) Trails in the Sky.
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Depends on how you want to play it - whether its through actual releases on Steam or emulation.
Through emulation you have a larger variety of games you can try out - I would recommend Tales of Phantasia (PS1 fan translated or the GBA version which was released in the US/EU). You can also try out to emulate Tales of the Abyss on PS2 (since the 3DS version is unplayable through the emulator) or Tales of Eternia for PSP (or the PS1 version where its known as Tales of Destiny 2).
Tales of Phantasia is the first game in the series, originally released for the Super Nintendo - the developers include the team that made Star Ocean. It was released for the SNES, GBA, PS1 and iOS (delisted). Its a 2D Tales game. I finished the PS1 version back in 2009 and played a bit of the SNES version in the early 2000s. Gameplay system is really fun and the story is decent.
Tales of the Abyss is a 3D Tales game which was originally released for the PS2 and was re-released for the 3DS (but it was also delisted). I find the story/cast to be charming and the gameplay is fun. I played the PS2 version back in 2010.
Tales of Eternia (Destiny II PS1) is another 2D tales game released originally on PS1 as Tales of Destiny II (before the real Destiny 2 came out on PS2). It was renamed to Eternia for the PSP, this was my first entry to the Tales series, played the PSP back in 2008.
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As for modern releases (PC) - I havent really played any of them (Vesperia, Berseria, Zestiria or Arise) but Symphonia is okay, I played it on the Gamecube back in 2013.
The story and gameplay are okay, its a big fan favorite but I wouldnt put it in my top 3. The big downside to this game is that the PC version is capped at 30 FPS because its a port of the PS3 remaster which ran on 30 FPS (same with the modern console versions on PS4/Xbox/Switch). The Gamecube version is the only one that runs the game at 60 FPS.
The recently announced Tales of Graces F remaster which comes out in January 2025 is $40 and I highly recommend it. Its my highest scored game in the series (despite the fact that Abyss is my favorite storyline wise). I finished Graces F on PS3 back in 2021 and I plan to multi dip the game on all consoles and Steam :P.
Personally , next Tales game I'm planning to play will be Xillia 2 on PS3 (if it doesnt get announced next month or so) or Tales of Vesperia on Switch (I have it on PC, Xbox and Playstation as well) . I still need to play Berseria and Zestiria which I have on both Steam and PS4.
Last Tales game I finished was Xillia 1 for PS3 back in 2021 (after I beat Graces F also on PS3) so I'm overdue to play another one.
These are all the Tales games I played and how I scored them
Tales of Phantasia (PS1): 90
Tales of the Abyss (PS2): 90
Tales of Eternia (PSP): N/A
Tales of Legendia (PS2): 83
Tales of Symphonia (GCN): 88
Tales of Graces F (PS3): 94
Tales of Xillia (PS3): 87
Tales of the Tempest (DS): 64
Tales of Innocence (DS): 84
Tales of the World Radiant Mythology (PSP): 72
