1UP: This is the first Tales series game on next-gen hardware. What kind of things did you set out to do with this game that you couldn't have done on previous platforms?

Yoshito Higuchi: The first thing that comes to mind is definitely the graphics side of things, especially the texture resolution and the feeling of depth to the backgrounds -- how far you can see into the distance. We can seamlessly connect areas without loading that would have required loading time in the past. Beyond that, the battles -- despite battle mode being completely separate from movement mode in Tales, previously we've been limited to four or five enemies on screen at once. This time we were able to display close to ten, as well as use flashier effects. I'd say those are some of the more notable graphical advances. Being on the 360 platform, we've made use of Xbox Live, implementing features like achievements and online rankings to good effect.

Tsutomu Gouda: For Abyss, we had linked cell phone content, but this time we'll be able keep everything together on the console.

SCREENS: Click the image above to check out all Tales of Vesperia screens.

1UP: What kind of ranking is it?

YH: Hit count, completion time, mini-game score rankings. It's a world-wide ranking.

1UP: Any plans for downloadable content?

YH: Taking into account the nature of the game, instead of providing additional maps or costumes or things like that, we're thinking more in terms of items that will make completing the game more convenient for those that have found themselves stuck but don't have time for level-raising or money-earning. That's the first type. Also, this time around the game has a large variety of accessory parts, and some of them are difficult to obtain. For those who don't have the time to acquire them, we plan to sell items and accessories separately. They'll be on the game disc to begin with, and players can obtain them on their own, but this system is for those who find it annoying or too time-consuming but still want to see them.

TG: We're not going to have anything where the only way to get it is to buy it. Players can earn it in-game, but also have this option. It's somewhat similar to game modification tools. The fact that demand for such things exists means that some people want to use money to accomplish game goals. That's who this is for.

YH: We don't see this being done much around the world currently. It's partly for fun, partly experimental. We're curious how much demand there is for this sort of thing.

1UP: So technically, you can start the game at max level?

YH: We considered that at first and started to put it in, but wound up removing it. The player only needs enough to beat the game. Reaching max level is something for the people that want to invest work and time into the game, so the purchasable boosts will just provide enough to complete the game.

TG: In other words, we may sell just the right amount of experience points.

SCREENS: Click the image above to check out all Tales of Vesperia screens.

1UP: If you buy this stuff, will your stats count on the world ranking?

YH: It will be exactly the same, regardless of whether you buy them or not. But having high level characters will not necessarily be an advantage [for all of them]. Skill will be required. So we're not making a distinction there [between those who buy and those who earn it]. The purchasable content is just to aid people in completing the game.

1UP: Is there any chance of being able to play multiplayer online?

YH: We passed on that this time. We weren't confident we could provide a satisfactory experience. We did investigate the possibility, but passed in the end. For three or four years now, people have been telling me that we'll need to do that eventually. If we were putting out a lot of titles on the same platform, we probably would, but I seem to find myself switching platforms frequently. So it's a bit difficult.

TG: He's just making excuses. [Laughs]

1UP: What made you decide to go with the Xbox 360? Are you concerned at all about the fact that the 360 isn't a very popular system in Japan?

YH: Well, it was a matter of, what else would we do it on instead? To explain how things developed, back when this project started, it was 2005 and we weren't finished with Abyss yet. With Abyss, we were feeling the limits of what we could do, and it became fairly firm that our next title would be on new hardware and in high definition. So when it came to choose a platform, the 360 was all there was. As we proceeded with development for the 360, if another platform came out, which now would be the PS3 -- it wasn't very finalized at the time, but it might have been an option -- if the PS3 had exploded into a much larger market than the 360, I can't say what we might have done, but at a certain stage we decided we should go ahead and do this first on the 360. So the time period in which development starts is very significant.

1UP: Did you think about the popularity of the 360 in the Western market as a possible benefit to releasing it on the 360 as opposed to PS3?

YH: That's certainly a factor. While it wasn't the case for every title, there were a number of Tales games for which we had expectations for global sales, and, I don't know if it's a coincidence or intentional, but I've wound up involved in those titles multiple times. Symphonia on the GameCube, Abyss on the PS2 -- so when I came to be working on the next one, I naturally expected it to be a worldwide release. So when that did turn out to be the case, the hardware choice was very advantageous. That decision happened mid-way through, so it's more of a retroactive benefit, but I'd still call it a factor. It's a big reason we didn't change to a different platform. Worldwide sales.

TG: There's also the matter of the 10th anniversary in North America, so when choosing a platform, we take that into consideration.

1UP: Eternal Sonata was originally announced as an Xbox 360 game as well, but now it's coming to the PS3 too. Can we expect the same treatment for Vesperia?

YH: I can't deny the possibility entirely. But right now we're putting everything we have into this project, so it's just not on our minds. Second, we don't know what's going to happen with the PS3 market. For comparison, Symphonia was ported from GC to PS2. At the time, I was saying it wasn't going to happen. And in fact, it wasn't a perfect recreation. This time around, with the PS3, it's technically possible but the business side of things is different. Right now we're not thinking about it at all.

SCREENS: Click the image above to check out all Tales of Vesperia screens.

1UP: Tell us about the battle system. How is it different from the battle system you had in Tales of the Abyss?

YH: It's basically an evolved version of the Flex Range system from Abyss, with finer control, you could say. For example, we've made it so you can attack while moving now, that sort of thing. Abyss has the Field of Fonon (FOF) system, an element-control system -- in its place in Vesperia is a system that allows you to use finishing moves to take out non-boss enemies in single hits regardless of their HP. Using that technique yields a large number of good items or other rewards. That's one of the new things.

Another is, you know the Over Limit system? It used to be you just filled the gauge and that was it, but now it fills up to four levels, with effects like, at level one your artes come out faster, from level two you can cancel any arte, from level three you can use mystic artes, from level four it makes you invulnerable, that sort of thing -- you can decide how best to use the levels. One character could use all four, or four characters could each use one, putting the whole party into Over Limit mode. Backing up a bit, in regards to how battles start, we're still using a single-encounter system, but up till now, touching a wandering enemy would just trigger that battle, but now, when you touch one, if other enemies are nearby, they'll come to join the fight. We call it encounter linking.

1UP: I guess there's not a world ranking for linking enemies, is there?

YH: Probably not. That's an interesting idea. Right now, it only links up to three. More than being a new element of the battle system -- well, it's that too, of course, but -- it's a way of connecting the combat to the scenario and zone exploration. This game has something called the Skill System, which can, for example, allow a character to backstep or perform artes in mid-air, or raise defense or attack power. Skills are obtained from weapons. We designed it so characters use blastia to acquire the skills from weapons, so you have to have the weapons to increase your skills.

1UP: For instance, Yuri is using a sword, can you give him a wand and turn him into a magic user?

YH: Yuri is a swordsman so you can't do that. Estellise can do both.

1UP: So it varies by class.

YH: Right. Weapons don't change your artes or fighting style. What changes are skills. We haven't had a system before where you could search for things that affect the characters' growth, so we decided to give it a try.

1UP: In Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss, the skits in the North American versions were not voiced. Will that be the case with Vesperia as well, or will the North American version be fully voiced this time?

YH: They'll be voiced this time. We wanted to do it previously. Putting priority on the release date resulted in it not happening, but this is the ten year anniversary and we really want it to be the same as the Japanese version.

SCREENS: Click the image above to check out all Tales of Vesperia screens.

1UP: Each Tales title has a different meaning. What is Vesperia?

YH: Never falter from the path of justice. Once you've decided that something is right, you have to have the resolve to carry that through to the end, no matter what happens. That's what we want the story to say. That's the most important thing.

Vesperia comes from the word Vesper, meaning the evening star, Venus, a bright star in the sky. We want the main character's presence in this world to be like Vesper, not just him, but also his companions. During the story, they form a guild. This world has a large number of guilds, and they just declare themselves to be one of them. They decide to name their guild after the sparkling evening star in the night sky, and so we're also using that in the title. I have a hard time with the "V" sound in there and I thought I might never get used to it, but now it feels completely natural and I like it. I think the logo design and such also fit the age range well.

1UP: The Tales series has had mixed success in the U.S. so far. What would you want to tell American gamers about Vesperia that would get them excited about this one? Also, in America's 360 user base, there may not be a high percentage of Japanese RPG gamers. What would you say to people who own 360 and don't play Japanese RPGs? What would get them excited?

YH: I think its existence is very significant. There just aren't any other games like this. Its presentation and what it expresses -- it follows the traditional Japanese design, but there isn't anything else like it. A game like this is coming out on the 360 first. And despite being a purely Japanese-developed game -- while the release timing is still a little uncertain -- we're doing the localization in parallel and proceeding right into selling it. We're doing something I've never experienced before. Even looking at other companies, about the only other one is Final Fantasy. I'm sure there are many who've never played [a Tales game] before, but if you can bring yourself to give it a try, I know you'll enjoy it. Also, I think the fact that the combat is real-time action is a big deal. When you think of Japanese RPGs, you think of turn-based systems, Dragon Quest-like games. But the combat here is action-based, so I think gamers who like action games will be interested in this.

TG: Beyond that, it's significant as the first famous-name Japanese RPG title to appear on an HD game system. There aren't any other game companies making games like this with this sort of anime look, so we think it can give gamers a new experience they haven't had before. We plan to have it on sale at around the same time as in Japan, and we we're confident in saying it's a title worth looking forward to.

We can't show you yet at this point, but Production I.G. is making the animation. That sort of thing, the volume of the game, the scenario volume -- of the RPGs coming out in HD, this is the first one that you can really sink your teeth into, with quality content that you can really spend time on before you've played all there is to play. Also, Tales games always have theme songs, but on this one, for the first time, the same artist is singing the Japanese version in Japanese and North American version in English. The way the opening movie and the music fit together is going to be fantastic. It's the first time our company's done something like this -- though industry-wise it was done previously with Kingdom Hearts -- but it's a first for Tales and a first for Bandai-Namco Games. And today we're announcing the artist for the first time: Bonnie Pink is performing the theme song. Higuchi conveyed the game details to her, and she composed a song specifically for this game, wrote the lyrics, and recorded it in Sweden.

YH: It's already included in this version, actually. [Laugh] With this, for the first time, we're really doing everything on even footing. If this doesn't do well worldwide, we'll have to reconsider the idea. [Laughs] Symphonia sold pretty well in part due to being on the GC, I think.

TG: Bonnie Pink's song will be world-premiering on iTunes in a global release. We're doing just the English version first, worldwide. Our Japanese customers, too, will probably hear the English version before the Japanese version.

SCREENS: Click the image above to check out all Tales of Vesperia screens.

1UP: Tell us about Tales Studio. How many different teams do you have working on individual Tales projects? What outside developers do you work with, and does Namco make any of the Tales games in-house?

YH: Basically [there are three teams at Tales Studio]. [As for outside developers, besides us there] is Alfa System, who made Radiant Mythology. And currently, no [Tales games] are being developed in-house. Legendia was developed in-house at the time. Also, Tales of Fandom 2, though I don't think that's coming out in the U.S.

1UP: Any plans for a North American release for Tales of Innocence?

TG: Not at this time.

1UP: Back when the Wii was first announced, Namco announced a game called "Swords of Legendia". Is this game still in development? What can you tell us about it, and when will we be seeing more of it?

TG: I'm in charge of that. We're working on it now, development is proceeding. That isn't a Tales game, though.

1UP: The "Tales" series has a long history with many games. As two people working on two different games in the same series, what do you personally think makes a "Tales" game? How do your approaches differ from one another?

YH: The fusion of animation and action gameplay is the biggest thing, I think. Beyond that, the story. On the other hand, I think that's all that's the same really. We each have our own ways of doing things, and we put into the game what we want to at the time.

1UP: In what way are the stories for each game is similar?

YH: Personally, I think there's more to the shape of the game than just the story, and the most important thing is how broad an experience we can offer. The "width" of the game, if you will. I really prefer to focus more on width than on depth. I don't think it's good to focus too much on one thing. I don't mean that I want to make it shallow, but I don't pursue extraneous depth.

TG: The reason we have two producers this time is due to our company changing to use this arrangement after April of last year, but in general, Higuchi is in charge of creative production and responsible for the content of the game, while I provide support. "Perhaps we could do this to better get this across to the player." "Maybe we could do promotion like this." That sort of thing. If it were a movie, Higuchi would be the director and I the producer. So we trust each other, and while we of course discuss things and may butt heads occasionally, we're working together in the same direction.

Also, as I was saying earlier, amongst all the RPGs out there, many titles have shrinking customer bases, with the surviving big ones being Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, and while I'm sure there are various thoughts on it, Tales is hanging in there, too. Like I was saying, it's an animation RPG, to sum it up. This time around, I think we've really done a great job of living up to that description on the visual side of things. Within that category, I think Tales holds a strong position. That's what Tales is. Also, Yoshizumi has watched over the entire series, and one theme that pervades the Tales series at its core is that of the ties that bind people together.

SCREENS: Click the image above to check out all Tales of Vesperia screens.

YH: Friends and comrades. It's about the characters. Not just the illustrations, but their personalities and such -- we place a heavy focus on that within the story. This may be just a Japanese thing, but Tales series customers, after they finish the game, they draw doujinshi [fan-fiction comics], they draw comics, they buy lots of novels and such, they debate on the internet. "Which character do you like? I like this one." That sort of thing. We have to leave hooks for them to do that with, and for that reason, we intentionally don't fill in every single detail in the scenarios. We go ahead and put in some things that can be taken multiple ways, intentionally setting things up for fans to debate them.

1UP: Of all the Tales games that have already been released, which is your favorite, and why?

YH: That's a difficult question. I like them all, but I suppose taking everything into account, perhaps Abyss. I have a strong attachment to that one.

TG: Same here. That was what led to this.

YH: Before this one comes out, if someone were to tell me that they'd never played a Tales game and ask which one to try, I'd answer Abyss. Looking at it another way, if Abyss isn't to someone's taste, the whole series probably won't be.

TG: But once this is out, you'll say Vesperia.

YH: Of course!

1UP: Finally, a hardcore question for hardcore Tales fans. In the ending of Tales of the Abyss, who is it who comes back? Luke? Or Asch? No wishy-washy answers, please! We need the truth!

YH: Which do you think it is? It's whoever you think it is. That's the answer. We had one customer who sent us a letter three times, and he didn't accept that answer the first time, but when we answered again the second time, he finally did.