Tales of Vesperia

Tales of Vesperia (テイルズ オブ ヴェスペリア) is a Role Playing game created for the Xbox 360 by Namco. The Xbox 360 version was released August of 2008 in Japan and North America. There is also possiblity of a PS3 port, though no plans are made yet.

Bandai Namco has stated that the CG scenes will set records for the Tales series. Additionally, the main theme, Ring a Bell, will be sung by Bonnie Pink in both Japan and North America. The Monster Encyclopedia makes its return as well. For the second time in the main games of the Tales Series, the skits will be fully voiced in North America; Tales of Legendia was the first to offer this feature.

Additionally, both release dates are planned to be a close as possible to each other.

Online Content
Though Tales of Vesperia is the first main game to have online content, it doesn't do too much with the capabilities. It features only worldwide rankings on minigames, hit count, and completion time. Additionally, useful rare items can be bought, though nothing that cannot be acquired in the game will be availible for download.

Battle System
The battle system is an "evolved" form of Tales of the Abyss' FR-LMBS, having many new features. For instance, in battles, more monsters may come on the battlefield after the start if they're nearby, meaning eight monsters could be fighting at once. However, in the place of FOFs, there is the ability to take out non-boss enemies if certain button combinations are used, regardless of HP. The Skill System allows the player to backstep, execute artes in midair, increase attack and defense, and other, similar effects. Weapons are the key to unlocking skills; blastia are used to bring them out (weapons, however, have no effect on artes).

Also, up to four overlimit guages can be stocked at once, though they aren't attached to any one character - one character can actually use all four. With this comes new effects, depending on the overlimit level, such as faster attacks at level one. At level two, any arte can be canceled.

Setting
Thus far, all that's known of the setting is that the world's energy balance is breaking down, allowing more and more monsters to be born. Cities have Shield Blastia (a barrier) in order to keep the monsters away; consequently, very few people leave the city they were born in. Blastia is the power for technology, and even battle items.

Characters
Yuri Lowell (ユーリ・ローウェル)

English Voice Actor: Troy Baker

Japanese Voice Actor: Kosuke Toriumi

Age: 21

Height: 180 cm

Artes for Yuri

Unlike many main characters in the Tales series, Yuri has a more fully-formed personality. He's extremely empathetic, choosing to solve smaller problems from individuals rather than the larger problems. Yuri was once a knight, and therefore had traveled a little out of the city he was born in, however, he didn't do it as regularly as Flynn. Eventually, his envy for Flynn led him to decide to see the world for himself. He eventually became part of the Guild, an organization that opposes the kingdom, Brave Vesperia, named after a star.

Yuri wields swords and handaxes in battle.

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Estellise Sidos Heurassein (エステリーゼ), Estelle (エステル)

English Voice Actor: Rachael Lillis

Japanese Voice Actor: Mai Kadowaki

Age: 18

Height: 165 cm

Artes for Estelle

Estelle has but a few things known about her. She encounters Yuri after he sneaks in the castle she lives in. Because she was largely confined there, she was taught to use swords, and often read books (which she loves to do), giving her a great deal of knowledge.

She uses weapons like swords and wands in battle, along with healing spells, making her a balanced character.

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Flynn Scifo (フレン シーフォ)

English Voice Actor: Sam Riegel

Japanese Voice Actor: Mamoru Miyano

Age: 21

Height: 180 cm

Artes for Flynn

Flynn, in contrast to Yuri, is a knight who would solve the larger problem before the smaller ones. In other words, he has a similar sense of justice to Yuri, but would rather solve them through politics. His differences in idealolgy will cause him to clash with Yuri, although the two aren't really at odds with each other.

He wields a sword and a shield in battle.

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Repede (ラピード)

Voice Actor: Makoto Ishii

Age: 4

Length: 170 cm

Artes for Repede

Yuri's dog, who wields a dagger and smokes a pipe. He is friendly around those he trusts, but dislikes it when approached by people he does not know. He's the first non-humanoid playable character.

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Rita Mordio (リタ)

English Voice Actor: Michelle Ruff

Japanese Voice Actor: Rika Morinaga

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Height: 150cm

Artes for Rita

A brunette-haired girl who wears goggles. She is a researcher that studies Blastia, and hates to be interrupted during her research. She is eccentric and has a poor social disposition. In battle she wields scrolls, whips and a book and is capable of using various magical attacks.

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Karol Capel (カロル・カペル)

English Voice Actor: Wendee Lee

Japanese Voice Actor: Kumiko Watanabe

Age: 12

Gender: Male

Height: 135cm

Artes for Karol

A little boy who wields a giant hammer and various other large weapons. She says that she is from the Hunting Blades guild (魔狩りの剣)). Due to certain circumstances he accompanies Yuri on one journey.

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Judith (ジュディス)

Japanese Voice Actor: Aya Yamakawa

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Height: 175cm

Artes for Judith

A beautiful woman that wields a spear. She is a member of the Kuritea (クリティア, Kuritia?) tribe, a minority race. She appears to be one of the more mysterious, mature and rational members of the team. She is gentle-looking, perceptive, composed, receptive, and often acts without explaining her actions, thus she cannot get an impression of the current situation. She is also decisive, persistent, witty, somewhat impulsive, and quite bold, and wears several revealing outfits, particularly her default outfit and her bunny outfit. She is also very flirtacious and apparently enjoys teasing the male members of the team, especially Raven and Karol, and often makes suggestive comments about 'showing a little more' of her already-impressive figure.

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Raven (レイヴン)

English Voice Actor: Frank Frankson

Japanese Voice Actor: Eiji Takemoto

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Height: 170cm

Artes for Raven

A frivolous and shady-looking gael that wears long clothes, and uses a bow and a dagger. He appears before Yuri while he is traveling, and annoys Yuri and his friends through his persiflage. To step back from troublesome things his voice becomes high-pitched immediately, and he becomes defiant to answer with his worried personality. Despite that, he is timid but not aloof from the world, the way someone somewhere cannot hate. As might be expected of someone his age, he strangely implies of past hardships, but the actual truth no one knows.