Captain Falcon Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 (edited) I'm just an hour in... The voices are awful. I mean, just awful. It's odd because I don't even remember the likes of Symphonia being anywhere near as bad. Do the characters at least stop being so punch-worthy as the story progresses? At first I thought both the actors and the script were bad but it either it's improved or I've just accepted it because it doesn't bother much now - I think it's the latter though. I'm glad they have to keep explaining everything to Luke because they throw around so much jargon, it's easy to miss something if you aren't paying attention. Perhaps more than the quality of the acting/script, it's the quality of the audio that irks me now. The voices sound a bit tinny which could be an issue related to some compression techniques employed to fit it on a 2GB card. I always play with headphones so maybe it's not as noticeable without. The Skits feel a bit empty too with no voice work which is a bit of a shame. I keep thinking Ion is a girl due to his looking and sounding like one. Seconded. Also, because of the way they always say "Fon Master Ion" it makes me think "Ion" is part of the title and not his actual name. So I've not been totally gripped by this so far and I think I blame the presentation - all of it. The story isn't anything special yet but that needs time and the delivery leads a lot to be desired. The graphics are a bit rough especially in 3D which suffers some ghosting too. And it's not like the 3D effect is amazing either. Sometimes I can play with it on full for a while and other times, I get a bit of headache straight away. Luckily, some recent story events suggest that bigger things may be on the horizon so fingers crossed. I am enjoying it purely because of the gameplay (now I have the technical ring), which is the most important part, but things need to kick up a notch to really draw me in. Edited December 29, 2011 by Captain Falcon
Ike Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 I think both the acting and script are excellent. No complaints here. I do find the voices hard to hear during and after battles which is a shame since that's were the best quotes are. I haven't seen any ghosting but the graphics sure didn't like being shrank to fit the lower resolution. It always seems to want to be displayed at the original size. Regardless, I'm enjoying it alot. Haven't played a Tales of game for a while so I forgot how good they are. Haven't played it in a bit because of Sonic Generations/Mario Kart 7 but I need to get back into it soon otherwise I'll start to forget stuff. I keep thinking Ion is a girl due to his looking and sounding like one. Me too, even though I know he's a boy :P
Captain Falcon Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 I haven't seen any ghosting but the graphics sure didn't like being shrank to fit the lower resolution. It always seems to want to be displayed at the original size. On the title screen, turn on the 3D and look at the back window with the light coming through it. I can clearly see the pattern on the window being drawn to the left and right of where it should be. I've seen this in other scenes too but nowhere near as pronounced as there.
Mokong Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 Picked this up yesterday using some of the vouchers I got for Xmas. Only about an hour and half in (just got Meiu), loving it. Slightly disappointed though that the anime bits aren't in 3D, didn't fully expect them to be but was hoping to be surprised The 3D isn't actually adding much anyway.... though the game does look lovely. Never this before on the PS2 either so it's great to finally get the chance as I always heard it was good. Actually now that I think of it the 2 Symphonia games are the only Tales of that I have played.... though I had followed news on the many DS games and of course Tales of Graces but none made it out of Japan....DAMN YOU NAMCO. The voices are a little annoying at first but I think I'm starting to get used to them, though of course they got nothing on Symphonia And like Eevil, I keep thinking Ion is a girl Loving it though so far and already switched my "fav 3DS game" to this on my friend list profile Also playing this is actually giving me the urge to reply Symphonia, will get to that in the new year methinks
Hero-of-Time Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 (edited) I'm still having trouble getting in to this. If this keeps up I will probably just put my copy on ebay. I'll probably get a pretty penny for it, not only because the game is rare, but I also have the now out of print guide for it from when it was released on the PS2. I really should stop picking the Tales games up. For some reason I never get on with them. I started Vesperia earlier in the year and ended up dropping that about 20 hours in. I'm also one of the few on here that thought Symphonia was a very average game. Sorry, Mokong. Edited December 29, 2011 by Hero-of-Time
Mokong Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 I I'm alos one of the few on here that thought Symphonia was a very average game. Sorry, Mokong. *like a dagger through my heart* Et tu H-o-T
Grazza Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 I think @killer kirby has made everyone want the original voice acting! *like a dagger through my heart* Et tu H-o-T "Where are my laurels...? Oh, I'm resting on them." "Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!" Sorry, couldn't resist.
Mokong Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 Got slightly side tracked on this for a bit, after beating Coral Castle and finding the Sword Dancer even though it was an optional boss fight I refused to continue the game till I beat him. Think when he first appeared my team were on lvl 11 couldn't beat him so kept grinding to the next level, go back and try again... and failed again. Finally beat him with two lvl 15 and two lvl 14 and a lot of life bottles.... got a shit load of EXP for it though which jumped everyone to like lvl 18 Not much money for it though Finally moved onwards a bit anyway, just passed Chesidonia and think I have a fair idea where the story is gonna go.
D_prOdigy Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 My progress is going very slowly. For whatever reason, I'm finding it difficult to put the time into it because it's a handheld game. Normally it's the other way around... Anyway, the aesthetic design of the game is well up there with the best of the Tales series. And everything runs lovely and smooth - it's quite impressive. It's actually the only 3DS game I own that I play in 2D. 3D just seems to be distracting for me here, and I have no problem with the idea that I'm just playing a PS2 game on a handheld. And no, I just cannot get along with the Disney voices at all. I don't like to criticise the work that voice actors do, but whoever at Namco thought this sort of style would suit a game like this just made a massive misjudgement. Also, Luke is still a rat-faced little shit. I'm not sure how wise it is to have a main character who is completely un-empathetical this far into the game. The writing and characters may be unsalvageable for me at this point, but hopefully the wider story will get interesting. Everything else is bang-on quality Tales.
Ike Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 On the title screen, turn on the 3D and look at the back window with the light coming through it. I can clearly see the pattern on the window being drawn to the left and right of where it should be. I've seen this in other scenes too but nowhere near as pronounced as there. I see it now, but only if I turn the 3D up to max, I don't usually have the 3D set that high. Also, Luke is still a rat-faced little shit. I'm not sure how wise it is to have a main character who is completely un-empathetical this far into the game. How far exactly are you in?
D_prOdigy Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 How far exactly are you in? Really really early, story-wise (probably), but my play-time is knocking on three hours. Of course, now I bet he turns into almost literally a different person (a la Emil in Dawn of the New World, but permanently) and I'll just look silly.
Captain Falcon Posted January 3, 2012 Posted January 3, 2012 (edited) Got slightly side tracked on this for a bit, after beating Coral Castle and finding the Sword Dancer even though it was an optional boss fight I refused to continue the game till I beat him. Think when he first appeared my team were on lvl 11 couldn't beat him so kept grinding to the next level, go back and try again... and failed again. Finally beat him with two lvl 15 and two lvl 14 and a lot of life bottles.... got a shit load of EXP for it though which jumped everyone to like lvl 18 Not much money for it though Finally moved onwards a bit anyway, just passed Chesidonia and think I have a fair idea where the story is gonna go. Was it me or was the final encounter in the castle something of a spike in difficulty? It took me three attempts to beat it. I saw the SD and had a fight against it but got about half it's energy off before losing. It didn't help that I haven't been buying weapons or armour. In the other Tales games I've played, any time I've bought the best weapon from a shop, I've got another or better in the dungeon immediately following my purchase. That doesn't seem to be the case here though. I had a quick look online to see how long it hangs around for so I just left it for now. Saw the first in game anime cutscene not too long ago. I've come into the game blind from a story perspective but between the castle and a couple of eventful trips on boats, it seems the game is quite eager to try and give away something I assume is supposed to be a big plot twist - it's dropping hints at every opportunity. Hopefully, some of them are decoys and it isn't as clear as I think it is. 10 hrs on the clock though, currently in some ruins, and I'm finally getting into it. I see it now, but only if I turn the 3D up to max, I don't usually have the 3D set that high. The higher you turn it up, the further from the object the "ghosts" are drawn. I think it becomes easier to see when there is particularly strong contrast of colours on screen. If I play in 3D, I do so on max because since that looks and feels best for me.... that issue aside. Edited January 3, 2012 by Captain Falcon Automerged Doublepost
dZION Posted January 3, 2012 Posted January 3, 2012 I rarely post, but loving this game a bit too much I guess. I'm halfway into my third playthrough. Just trying to fill up any sidequests and other optional stuff I missed on the previous two runs.
Sheikah Posted January 5, 2012 Posted January 5, 2012 (edited) Just finished this now, it's quite a gem. I'm impressed that they brought this out over here, and before they did in the US for the 3DS too. This reminds me a lot of Symphonia in terms of battles and its general threat-to-mankind storyline, which can only be a good thing. I will say that there seemed to be fewer towns but with a strong emphasis on revisiting places, often just to trigger a cutscene before you go trigger another one elsewhere. The last third of the game seemed to be mostly old ground at least. That said, it improves on Symphonia in terms of character animation (cutscenes are executed far better) as well as the battle system. This is a much better job at a Tales game than the shite that was Legendia. Although that wasn't produced by Namco, to be fair. Edited January 5, 2012 by Sheikah
Debug Mode Posted January 5, 2012 Posted January 5, 2012 If you are still looking for a copy of Tales of the Abyss, pre-order ASAP I have been informed that new stock shipment will be in early new year and your best bet is to keep your eyes online for a copy as opposed to in store. We are really sorry that so many fans haven't been able to get copies but I promise you we don't do this to upset you. For example, everyone one in the UK office are gamers themselves and we really do get upset when our fans aren't 100% happy. We are proud and blessed that we have so many passionate fans. Source: HollieBennett, Namco Bandai UK Consumer & Community PR Namco Bandai UK are expecting another shipment due to arrive with the sellers on the 21st of January. (Another source) They also advise in the tweets that it's best to shop online for it rather than in stores. So to all those who were complaining about not being able to get a copy, put your money where your mouth is because I've never heard of these guys reprinting any of their RPG's.
Agent Gibbs Posted January 5, 2012 Posted January 5, 2012 well i hope my pre-order with Play works then:blank:
khilafah Posted January 6, 2012 Posted January 6, 2012 Amazon sent me an email saying it will be delivered jan 30th - feb 6th :-)
Sheikah Posted January 6, 2012 Posted January 6, 2012 My advice to you guys, keep your eyes peeled on ShopTo. They are least likely to mess you about, and most likely to get a game to you quickly. Play.com aren't always reliable I've found.
Debug Mode Posted January 6, 2012 Posted January 6, 2012 Unfortunately, ShopTo doesn't seem to be taken any pre-orders or stock alerts. It just says that the copies are all gone. Amazon are taking orders though and state that stock will be dispatched within 2 to 4 weeks.
S.C.G Posted January 7, 2012 Posted January 7, 2012 @Debug Mode thanks for the tip-off about this yesterday, fortunately I actually have a copy waiting for me when I go to visit my Gf next week - a late Christmas present of sorts - it was lucky that she was able to get a copy put back about a week or two after release as it was only one of two there when she went to buy it. Of course I'm looking forward to seeing her and getting my copy but if I happen to find any other pre-owned copies of the game anywhere such as GameStop, HMV, Cex while on my travels I'll be sure to snap them up - assuming they are below £40 - and I'll sell them back to anyone on here who still wants a copy at the price I purchased for (plus a few quid to cover insured postage) obviously this isn't a promise as I'm unlikely to find any but having said that I did find two copies of Xenoblade Chronicles pre-owned last time I went a few months ago for both less than £20 so you never know. : peace:
daftada Posted January 7, 2012 Posted January 7, 2012 Hope Zavvi will get some stock, they've had my order since November...
Captain Falcon Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 I've got in the region of 16 hours on the clock now. It seems my thought of how the story was going to play out were spot on meaning the inevitable plot twist that came a couple of hours later wasn't remotely surprising - and this is from a guy who didn't see the whole Lloyd/Kratos thing coming btw. The story has taken a leap in quality since that point though and I have to say that Jade is swiftly becoming one of the most complex characters I've seen in a game. Admittedly, it probably says more about the types of games that I play but still. The probem now being that he's making everyone else seem worse by comparison even though they too are improving... except Anise who is as one dimensional now as she was at the start.
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