JeanHeartbroken papa bearGatineau, QuébecRegistered Userregular
edited November 2008
Now than I'm the last dungeon, let's be fair to Emil - his caracther improves a lot during the game. But he IS unberable at first.
Jean on
"You won't destroy us, You won't destroy our democracy. We are a small but proud nation. No one can bomb us to silence. No one can scare us from being Norway. This evening and tonight, we'll take care of each other. That's what we do best when attacked'' - Jens Stoltenberg
Agreed about punching Emil. I just finished Vesperia prior to starting Symphonia 2. I'm only the third chapter in, switching between this & my Vesperia EX game.
Will have to see if Emil gets less annoying. I did want to punch Luke for a good chunk of Abyss...most of Abyss, & I hated Asch.
A lot of the fights seem easier, than say, Vesperia - OK, there was one boss that did give me problems, it was more of a huge level discrepancy than actual difficulty. I've met a few of the old Symphonia characters, & I preferred the voice actors from the first game.
So far, I'm liking the monster system. It does provide a distraction which would normally be filled by sidequests, which I don't think there are any in Symphonia 2.
So because I didn't talk to a girl tending a garden in some town I probably spent all but 15 minutes in it I can't get Judith's best weapon hooray!!
Fuck you, game. At least remove the cutscenes that make it seem like I might get that stupid fucking spear instead of getting my hopes up.
Also, Fel Arm question:
I understand the final two fell arms are in Tarqaron before fighting Duke. Do I have to run all the way out of Tarqaron then back to Aurnion to talk with Flynn to trigger the special fight or can I just waltz in and beat Duke's ass?
Also, I read one of Estelle's and one of Rita's costumes are tied to their healing/damage totals, but is some ridiculous number (in the high millions).
If I were to start an Ex New Game, would that information carry over or would I have to start all over again?
Judith's spear is probably the most convoluted quest in the game.
As to your spoiler question: after going through the area that you find them in, you'll be right back at the entrance anyway. I do believe you have to get the scene in Aurnion, but I'm not 100%.
The stats for Estelle/Rita carry across.
Turns out I DIDN'T miss the sidequest and I was able to get the spear.
Sure, the sidequest might be convoluted, but it develops Rita's and Judith's characters tons.
Also, holy crap is Karol's best weapon ugly. I was figuring it would look better than that. Oh well.
I got all three letters of challenge for the 100-Man Melee but I still can't access it (they're "still getting ready" according to the girl). Am I missing something else? Is Aurnion supposed to be fully built?
So far, I'm liking the monster system. It does provide a distraction which would normally be filled by sidequests, which I don't think there are any in Symphonia 2.
The Katz guild has sidequests, but I've been ignoring them.
So far, I'm liking the monster system. It does provide a distraction which would normally be filled by sidequests, which I don't think there are any in Symphonia 2.
The Katz guild has sidequests, but I've been ignoring them.
There's a series that starts in chapter 5 that leads to a unique monster and Emil's best weapon.
Barrakketh on
Rollers are red, chargers are blue....omae wa mou shindeiru
I'll look into them later, but I'm trying to plow through this for a review. Going to be tricky since I lose three nights a week to other activities...
So far, I'm liking the monster system. It does provide a distraction which would normally be filled by sidequests, which I don't think there are any in Symphonia 2.
The Katz guild has sidequests, but I've been ignoring them.
There's a series that starts in chapter 5 that leads to a unique monster and Emil's best weapon.
I don't see the Katz guild quests as sidequests, just ways to level up monsters fast.
I finally got a philosopher's stone, & I can synthesize a statue, deciding which one. Will be able to get any more of these stones later in the game? I'm in the Temple of Earth.
So far, I'm liking the monster system. It does provide a distraction which would normally be filled by sidequests, which I don't think there are any in Symphonia 2.
The Katz guild has sidequests, but I've been ignoring them.
There's a series that starts in chapter 5 that leads to a unique monster and Emil's best weapon.
I don't see the Katz guild quests as sidequests, just ways to level up monsters fast.
True, but you want to do "The Hunter's Trophy" series starting in chapter five. One per chapter after that, with the chapter eight one being in the Twilight Palace for that weapon, titles for Emil and Marta, and a Kitty Kat. Best is relative, of course...it may be preferable to use a weaker weapon if it has a skill you want (like Accelerate 3). The Katz guild quests can also net you items needed to synthesize the statues needed to evolve your monsters.
I finally got a philosopher's stone, & I can synthesize a statue, deciding which one. Will be able to get any more of these stones later in the game? I'm in the Temple of Earth.
The easiest way to get them your first time through the game is the Special Party Battle at the Coliseum. They are a rare drop from Hippogrpyhs, but get some Item Finder skills and you should get some every other time or so. Presea gets Item Finder 1 & 2, and I know the Mia Culpa monster can learn Item Finder 1 and 3. The Message: Hawkeye can teach monsters Item Finder 2 (I think it's 2, anyway). If you're really lucky one of your monsters will have the Sigh of Luck synch skill, but I wouldn't specifically hunt one down for that unless you're obsessive about it. It's not a bad idea to have item finder monsters anyway if you want to play through the game a second time and desire Marta's best weapon, because it has a low drop rate from a boss (level 200) in the optional dungeon.
A perk of farming the stones from there is that you get a Gold Manuscript (70k exp for monsters) for winning.
You can also kill the King Leeches from the Iselia Human Ranch for drops. The best method though is to steal from monsters in Gladsheim, but that's not available except in a New Game+. You can repeatedly steal from monsters and reset the dungeon for them. The minibosses that are paired with Archdemons there drop manuscripts, including the Rainbow Manuscript (100k exp).
Barrakketh on
Rollers are red, chargers are blue....omae wa mou shindeiru
How do Altered Artes chain exactly? I've just now started picking them up and they don't really seem to chain off of anything. Do I need to master them first and then they can chain? Or is it a usage thing? Or are they just sort of worthless?
Also, can you learn the Altered versions of the Burst Artes? Because that's some grindy grindy fun waiting if so.
Also, please tell me Ghost Wolf's timing relaxes on the outside swing as your usage increases. I really want to use it over C-Strike, but the timing is so wonky that I just can't make it work.
And am I correct in assuming that the 'symbol' on the skills screen correlates with equipping certain combinations of skills? Or if it a certain percentage of a certain type of skill? Yuri's the only one who has one so far, and I've got him so kitted up as a glass cannon that it could really be either, and while removing random skills does remove the symbol, I don't feel like a 15 minute note taking experiment to figure the specifics out.
For the chaining you need to use particular skills set up in order to use like "Altered arte can be used after regular arte" or whatever. I forget a lot about that game as its been so long but I know there were certain skill thingies that you set that allowed you to chain certain Artes off of different Artes.
mastrius on
"You're like a kitten! A kitten who doesn't speak Japanese." ~ Juliet Starling
0
DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
How do Altered Artes chain exactly? I've just now started picking them up and they don't really seem to chain off of anything. Do I need to master them first and then they can chain? Or is it a usage thing? Or are they just sort of worthless?
Also, can you learn the Altered versions of the Burst Artes? Because that's some grindy grindy fun waiting if so.
Also, please tell me Ghost Wolf's timing relaxes on the outside swing as your usage increases. I really want to use it over C-Strike, but the timing is so wonky that I just can't make it work.
And am I correct in assuming that the 'symbol' on the skills screen correlates with equipping certain combinations of skills? Or if it a certain percentage of a certain type of skill? Yuri's the only one who has one so far, and I've got him so kitted up as a glass cannon that it could really be either, and while removing random skills does remove the symbol, I don't feel like a 15 minute note taking experiment to figure the specifics out.
1. To chain Altered Artes you need the respective skill equipped that lets you do so, you'll come across them later in the game.
2. To learn Altered Artes permanantly its 50 uses for magic based AA, and 100 uses for Physical.
3. I don't think Altered Artes versions of Burst Artes are learnable...never bothered to learn them...so they might be.
4. Ghost Wolf supposedly becomes easier to chain after a certain number of uses(100 or 200) never worked for me so I trashed it.
5. The glyphs do correspond to skills and depend on the type you have equipped. Like having a lot of attack skills will give you a glyph that increases strength during overlimit. Like of defensive skills will increase denfense during overlimit...etc.
Okay... so... they're just worthless now then. That's great. Glad that they made them available while they sucked.
As far as Altered Artes go I'll say they have their uses. But really...I feel that Rita and Estelle's magic Altered Artes are the best as far as they go because...
1. Most of Estelle's healing AA are better than some of her base ones.
2. Rita learns a skill that lets her chain base spells right into Altered spells.
Not to say the other people's Altered Artes aren't just as useful, just that I got more mileage out of theirs in comparison to others.
Dragkonias on
0
AegeriTiny wee bacteriumsPlateau of LengRegistered Userregular
edited February 2009
I've only seen Tales of Symphonia here in New Zealand.
Not one game afterwards has been released here and I've missed out on all of them as a result
Skipped the thread but just wanted to ask why everyone nerd-gasms over Symphonia. I own it but cannot bring myself to play it. The combat just feels rushed and jangly to me (in 3D, atleast) and the VO (Especially in combat) irritates the hell out of me. I rented Tales of Destiny 2 on PS1 years ago and loved that one, but the 3D ones are too different for me to get into. That said, should I buy the new one on 360? :P
Mitsuhide on
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DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
Skipped the thread but just wanted to ask why everyone nerd-gasms over Symphonia. I own it but cannot bring myself to play it. The combat just feels rushed and jangly to me (in 3D, atleast) and the VO (Especially in combat) irritates the hell out of me. I rented Tales of Destiny 2 on PS1 years ago and loved that one, but the 3D ones are too different for me to get into. That said, should I buy the new one on 360? :P
Well...I think the main reason it had such a mainstream appeal was because it was the first 3D Tales game.
Really...when I talked to most non-Tales fans who started with Symphonia they all think it's the first one in the series, completely skipping over Phantasia and the like. As a Eternia fanboy, this angers me.
I like the 2D ones alot but I'm just wondering if I'll like Vesperia enough to merit a purchase. I played the demo at a friend's house and it was definitely more polished than Symphonia, atleast to me. Are there any major differences?
Mitsuhide on
0
Mx. QuillI now prefer "Myr. Quill", actually...{They/Them}Registered Userregular
Until they decided to rehash all the dungeons and stop doing vocals.
Aroduc on
0
Mx. QuillI now prefer "Myr. Quill", actually...{They/Them}Registered Userregular
edited February 2009
Well, I'll admit that Senel was a badass (though not as much as Yuri), but there were quite a lot of things wrong with that game. For one, the magic in the game was weak as hell. I only had one spell caster in the group since she had the only full party healing spell, and I never had her cast anything else.
But why they decided to drop the VAs altogether for the second half of the game was pretty stupid.
Mx. Quill on
0
DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
Well, I'll admit that Senel was a badass (though not as much as Yuri), but there were quite a lot of things wrong with that game. For one, the magic in the game was weak as hell. I only had one spell caster in the group since she had the only full party healing spell, and I never had her cast anything else.
But why they decided to drop the VAs altogether for the second half of the game was pretty stupid.
I agree that magic sucked. But it kind of made sense when you looked at it. The developers obviously wanted magic moreso as combo support than big attacks in themselves. Not that it's an excuse, just that it is somewhat reasonable.
Legendia was my favorite one until I played Abyss. I only got up to the start of Norma's Character Quest though; it might have gotten better after that. I doubt it though.
I find it kinda funny they added a New Game plus mode. Who actually wants to play Legendia 4 times?
Legendia was my favorite one until I played Abyss. I only got up to the start of Norma's Character Quest though; it might have gotten better after that. I doubt it though.
I find it kinda funny they added a New Game plus mode. Who actually wants to play Legendia 4 times?
The worst part was how they handled costumes. How stupid.
So rather than making a new thread, I'm bumping this one back to the front page with a question.
I have never played any Tales of games before. However I would like to correct this deficiency. Therefore my question to you fine folk is this: Which should I get and should I play them in any particular order? (either because of story, or other reasons like a gimped battle system)
Syphyre on
0
Mx. QuillI now prefer "Myr. Quill", actually...{They/Them}Registered Userregular
edited February 2009
There's no link between any of the games other than Destiny 1 and 2, and Symphonia and Dawn of the New World. Vesperia's the best in my opinion, but the original Symphonia and Abyss are good, too. I've heard that Dawn of the New World's pretty gimped compared to its predecessor. It'd be difficult to find any of the others.
So rather than making a new thread, I'm bumping this one back to the front page with a question.
I have never played any Tales of games before. However I would like to correct this deficiency. Therefore my question to you fine folk is this: Which should I get and should I play them in any particular order? (either because of story, or other reasons like a gimped battle system)
You don't have to worry about story, as most of the games are not connected. They tell their own stories.
What systems do you have? There's a Tales game on practically all of them. If you have an Xbox 360, Tales of Vesperia is a fantastic start. Yuri makes for a great protagonist. I also liked Abyss on the Playstation 2, especially because I thought it handled choices and consequences fairly well, or at least addressed them better than other JRPGs. The main character is actually hesitant to fight and kill other human beings, and they spend some time on that topic. I liked that. In other games, you'll have even the little kids go around slaughtering people and smiling as if nothing ever happened afterward.
Dashui on
Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
Until they decided to rehash all the dungeons and stop doing vocals.
You know, I played through Tales of Rebirth with all its idiotic talk of true love and understanding being just like peach pie. For all its faults, ToR was a well written and entertaining game.
ToL was cringe-inducingly horrible. The first "arc" was fine, if a little stupid. I mean, the game wasn't nearly as funny or well written as its predecessors, and the combat was kind of lame but at least it had a villian that was pretty easy to hate. But the script and voice acting in the character quests was so embarassing that I just couldn't it anymore.
The important thing to note is that Tales of games are basically 60 precent comedy.
I have every system except for a PS3 so I don't think the system will be an issue. I totally admit I have no desire to go play on on the GBA (unless it's REALLY awesome) or PS1...
So I guess that leaves me with Symphonia, Symphonia 2 (is that what you're calling Dawn?), Abyss, Legendia, and Vesperia?
Vesperia is freaking expensive right now....mebbe I should go with Abyss or Symphonia?
Posts
Will have to see if Emil gets less annoying. I did want to punch Luke for a good chunk of Abyss...most of Abyss, & I hated Asch.
A lot of the fights seem easier, than say, Vesperia - OK, there was one boss that did give me problems, it was more of a huge level discrepancy than actual difficulty. I've met a few of the old Symphonia characters, & I preferred the voice actors from the first game.
So far, I'm liking the monster system. It does provide a distraction which would normally be filled by sidequests, which I don't think there are any in Symphonia 2.
Turns out I DIDN'T miss the sidequest and I was able to get the spear.
Sure, the sidequest might be convoluted, but it develops Rita's and Judith's characters tons.
Also, holy crap is Karol's best weapon ugly. I was figuring it would look better than that. Oh well.
I got all three letters of challenge for the 100-Man Melee but I still can't access it (they're "still getting ready" according to the girl). Am I missing something else? Is Aurnion supposed to be fully built?
The Katz guild has sidequests, but I've been ignoring them.
PAHTAKE IN M'BAPTISOOM OF DAHKNUSS
I don't see the Katz guild quests as sidequests, just ways to level up monsters fast.
I finally got a philosopher's stone, & I can synthesize a statue, deciding which one. Will be able to get any more of these stones later in the game? I'm in the Temple of Earth.
A perk of farming the stones from there is that you get a Gold Manuscript (70k exp for monsters) for winning.
You can also kill the King Leeches from the Iselia Human Ranch for drops. The best method though is to steal from monsters in Gladsheim, but that's not available except in a New Game+. You can repeatedly steal from monsters and reset the dungeon for them. The minibosses that are paired with Archdemons there drop manuscripts, including the Rainbow Manuscript (100k exp).
Hi-ougi promo video(s)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToJHDsQ6Z54
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN6Wwdl9qBM
Edit:
Damn, watching the Chloe/Senel parts makes me remember how much I liked the detail and movement in Legendia.
How do Altered Artes chain exactly? I've just now started picking them up and they don't really seem to chain off of anything. Do I need to master them first and then they can chain? Or is it a usage thing? Or are they just sort of worthless?
Also, can you learn the Altered versions of the Burst Artes? Because that's some grindy grindy fun waiting if so.
Also, please tell me Ghost Wolf's timing relaxes on the outside swing as your usage increases. I really want to use it over C-Strike, but the timing is so wonky that I just can't make it work.
And am I correct in assuming that the 'symbol' on the skills screen correlates with equipping certain combinations of skills? Or if it a certain percentage of a certain type of skill? Yuri's the only one who has one so far, and I've got him so kitted up as a glass cannon that it could really be either, and while removing random skills does remove the symbol, I don't feel like a 15 minute note taking experiment to figure the specifics out.
1. To chain Altered Artes you need the respective skill equipped that lets you do so, you'll come across them later in the game.
2. To learn Altered Artes permanantly its 50 uses for magic based AA, and 100 uses for Physical.
3. I don't think Altered Artes versions of Burst Artes are learnable...never bothered to learn them...so they might be.
4. Ghost Wolf supposedly becomes easier to chain after a certain number of uses(100 or 200) never worked for me so I trashed it.
5. The glyphs do correspond to skills and depend on the type you have equipped. Like having a lot of attack skills will give you a glyph that increases strength during overlimit. Like of defensive skills will increase denfense during overlimit...etc.
NNID: Glenn565
As far as Altered Artes go I'll say they have their uses. But really...I feel that Rita and Estelle's magic Altered Artes are the best as far as they go because...
1. Most of Estelle's healing AA are better than some of her base ones.
2. Rita learns a skill that lets her chain base spells right into Altered spells.
Not to say the other people's Altered Artes aren't just as useful, just that I got more mileage out of theirs in comparison to others.
Not one game afterwards has been released here and I've missed out on all of them as a result
Yeah...I honestly hope the Fatal Strike system is implemented into all new Tales games. It just makes battles flow so much faster.
I wouldn't mind Senel's throws showing up in future ones either for that matter.
Well...I think the main reason it had such a mainstream appeal was because it was the first 3D Tales game.
Really...when I talked to most non-Tales fans who started with Symphonia they all think it's the first one in the series, completely skipping over Phantasia and the like. As a Eternia fanboy, this angers me.
Well, there is a bit of good news through that.
You managed to avoid Legendia.
Until they decided to rehash all the dungeons and stop doing vocals.
But why they decided to drop the VAs altogether for the second half of the game was pretty stupid.
I agree that magic sucked. But it kind of made sense when you looked at it. The developers obviously wanted magic moreso as combo support than big attacks in themselves. Not that it's an excuse, just that it is somewhat reasonable.
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
I find it kinda funny they added a New Game plus mode. Who actually wants to play Legendia 4 times?
NNID: Glenn565
Uh...I'm playing Abyss right now it is pretty okay, but would be much less okay without Jade!
edit: God dammit Blackjack could you have held off your snark for one more bloody minute
Haha! Before the edit! Now everyone can see it forever.
Edit: I believe you will find I could not.
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
The worst part was how they handled costumes. How stupid.
I have never played any Tales of games before. However I would like to correct this deficiency. Therefore my question to you fine folk is this: Which should I get and should I play them in any particular order? (either because of story, or other reasons like a gimped battle system)
You don't have to worry about story, as most of the games are not connected. They tell their own stories.
What systems do you have? There's a Tales game on practically all of them. If you have an Xbox 360, Tales of Vesperia is a fantastic start. Yuri makes for a great protagonist. I also liked Abyss on the Playstation 2, especially because I thought it handled choices and consequences fairly well, or at least addressed them better than other JRPGs. The main character is actually hesitant to fight and kill other human beings, and they spend some time on that topic. I liked that. In other games, you'll have even the little kids go around slaughtering people and smiling as if nothing ever happened afterward.
NNID: Glenn565
You know, I played through Tales of Rebirth with all its idiotic talk of true love and understanding being just like peach pie. For all its faults, ToR was a well written and entertaining game.
ToL was cringe-inducingly horrible. The first "arc" was fine, if a little stupid. I mean, the game wasn't nearly as funny or well written as its predecessors, and the combat was kind of lame but at least it had a villian that was pretty easy to hate. But the script and voice acting in the character quests was so embarassing that I just couldn't it anymore.
The important thing to note is that Tales of games are basically 60 precent comedy.
So I guess that leaves me with Symphonia, Symphonia 2 (is that what you're calling Dawn?), Abyss, Legendia, and Vesperia?
Vesperia is freaking expensive right now....mebbe I should go with Abyss or Symphonia?