Cherished Tales of character designer Mutsumi Inomata has passed away as confirmed by her sister on social media Monday. Her legacy includes working on multiple beloved Tales of RPG en??tries and anime series, with roles as an animation director and char?acter designer.

As translated by Siliconera, the social media message from Inomata's sister e??xplained her passing was a "very sudden death." No cause has been given. Unfortunately, Inomata has unfinished drafts she was working on. She added that Inomata is "probably surrounded by cats and creating more characters with strong eyes."

The end of the message gives thanks to the fans for appreciating Inomata's work ov?er the years. The open letter also asks not to send flowers to the grieving family.

Inomata has been associated with the Tales of series since its second entry, Tales of Destiny. She has worked on 12 of the series titles and has certainly left a mark on the RPG genre, including both Tales of Xillia games. She's known for her imaginative fantasy designs and watercolour-inspired art �a striking piece fans in the West may be most familiar with include her brilliant design on the Tales of Graces cover. The artist also worked on Brain Power and City Hunter anime series among many others.

"I admired Inomata-san's beautiful paintings, and eventually became a part of the industry, and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with her on The Continent of the Wind," said Space Battleship Yamato 2199 character designer Nobuteru YĹ«ki on social media.

"I am who I am today because I was fascinated by Inomata's paintings, and she gave me a lot of encouragement," said Slayers character conceptual designer Rui Araizu??mi. "Thank you very much ?for all your wonderful works."

The last game Inomata worked on was 2017's Tales of Berseria. As of the time of writing, the game is currently 90% off on Steam until March 21.

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Nothing clicks together quite like a good Tales cast

Today is a good day for the Tales Of series. It marks the fifth anniversary of Tales of Berseria, the most recent major entry in the franchise, and there's also a demo out for the upcoming Tales of Arise, which is now only a few weeks away.

As I've talked to friends about this game, I've heard a similar refrain over and over: some variation of, "I haven't really ever played a Tales game," or "this will be my first Tales game." I've talked to a few folks who have b?een interested in the series before, but never really taken the plunge,? until now.

I'm more of a Tales aficionado or enthusiast than a diehard. My experience pretty much lines up with whatever's been available on the consoles I own, so there are some gaping holes in my background with the series. But games like Symphonia and Vesperia are among my favorite RPGs ever, and ahead of the launch of Arise, I wanted to share a bit about what makes these games click for me, an??d why they might click for you too.

It isn't just the combat, though the fighting game-meets-RPG mash-up is certainly its own brand of intriguing fun. And the big narratives can range from okay to great, depending on which entry you pick up. It took me a few years and replaying several games over again to figure this out, but the reason I keep coming back to Tales is because of its cast.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=6juT0GEGpnE

For those new to the series, Tales is similar to Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest in that each major entry is its own thing. There are some exceptions to the rule, obviously; Tales of Xillia, Symphonia, and Destiny got sequels, and Tales of Zestiria got a fairly far-flung-back prequel in Tales of Berseria. But these are mostly individual, standalone stories, as is the case with Arise.

In role-playing games, characters obviously take part in the big events happening around them. They'll sh?ow up in the cutscenes, fight in boss battles, and work alongside you in dungeons. Outside of combat and story moments though, RPGs ca?n be iffy on portraying what the group looks like when it isn't just saving the world.

Having some hang-out time with yo??ur party can do a lot to build up your (the player's) connection with a cast of characters. Each member has their own personality, likes and dislikes, and goals that can sometimes clash with those of the whole unit. Exploring those aspects helps ??add depth to them, so you're not just working with a team of skilled and talented warriors, but one that also travels together, shares meals, and sleeps around the same campfire.

Series like Persona and Mass Effect emphasize this aspect of an RPG, but Tales does it a bit differently. First off, a Tales game puts you in the role of a char??acter, and tha??t character is defined by their own choices. It's not a molded protagonist, the way that Ren or Commander Shepard. Outside of some special circumstances like figuring out which companion Lloyd might talk to at a certain point in the game, he is a set character.

Tales games also wrap this party aspect into many, many facets of its design. It's not just that the party travels, but they travel together. In some games they can eat dishes that you select after battle, and certain characters might cook the dish better or worse. This is even used to comedic effect at times, with characters like Raine not being able to reach high ranks on dishes due to her less-than-?stella?r cooking skills, or Repede turning dishes into Dog Food.

Skits are the most obvious example of Tales honing in on the party dynamics. When walking around, prompts will pop up in the bottom-right corner to initiate a short discussion between members? of your party.

Maybe it's a small chat about what's been going on in the main plotline. It might be the chance for one party member to express their own concerns, or even reflect on how a recent happening affects them specifically. ?There are some very specific skits that only happen under certain conditions, and there are others that just feature all your party members shooting the breeze, joking with one another or inq?uiring into each others' personal lives, outside the grand adventure they're currently on.

Skits can seem small, but for me, they're the lifeblood of a Tales game. It's a constant reminder that this isn't just a character on the overworld with a back-?up squad standing somewh?ere off camera, but an adventuring group that moves together.

Tales party members can come from varying backgrounds, and even in games where some members start out as longtime friends, those relationships can still evolve over time. Tales of Berseria follows a group of characters that's very loo??sely banded together, but grows to care about each other's well-being.

This carries back over into the cooking and even into battle, where characters can team up for dual attacks that combine their Artes usage into a tandem assault. It's really cool to have a skit where two characters are obviously warming up to each other, and then in a battle a little while later see them team up for a special Arte; they're learning to work together an?d live together.

What I've dug so far about Tales of Arise is that it seems like the boost in production isn't just going towards making grander ?cutscenes or better character models (though it is a pretty good-looking game, from the previews we'??ve seen). It's also being used on the skits, elevating them from the usual talking-head character portraits to cut-in comic panels with animation.

Cooking isn't just an after-battle boost with a cheerful response, but an action you can take part in at your camp. You get to see the party member present it to the group, letting?? everyone else know dinner is ready. And as you flip through the menu options, you can see the party members in the background, sitting around the campfire together.

It's a dynamic that other games have also attempted, like in Final Fantasy XV's boys trip through the countryside. And for them, it can work to varying degrees. But the Tales series has been doing this for a long time. The idea of Tales of Arise getting the chance to do this stuff even grander is made that much more interesting when I go back and look at some of the better skits in Vesperia or Symphonia.

So yes, the Tales series is a nice blend of fantasy RPG storytelling and more action-oriented combat. It's got a very stylized, anime-inspired aesthetic, the music is usually solid, and it's neat how it lets you play as individual characters in the party, an aspect that's also become popular in recent RPGs like Final Fantasy VII Remake.

The draw for me was, is, and will continue to be the cast of characters. Tales games are at their best when they're ?leaning into the strength of not just individual narratives, but the group as a whole. Seeing an endearing group of fighters, mages, runaways, and vagabonds form a begrudging comradery that will eventually bloom into friendship over the ??course of their journey is just great, every time. Characters like Judith, Rita, Magilou, Regal, and Eizen are good on their own, but become much more within the context of their respective parties.

So if you're thinking of hopping into the Tales series, either with Tales of Arise or with one of the older games (if you're brand-new, I'd recommend either the Vesperia remaster or the most recent game, Berseria), that's what the draw is. I don't claim that mine is the universal reason why fans love it, but I'd have to ??t?hink it at least charts somewhere in the top reasons why. Show up for the anime aesthetic and action tilt, stay for an endearing group of misfits you can't help but love.

The post Why I dig the Tales series, and you might too appeared first on Destructoid.

'Magikazam!'

When I first wrote about Tales of Berseria, I held the belief that while the g??ame wasn't particularly groundbreaking or innovative, it noneth?eless provided a highly polished and consistently excellent experience. At the time, I'd only put 21 hours into the game, which means that while I was approaching its half-way mark, I wasn't quite at that point yet.

Now that I've seen the story of Tales of Berseria draw to a close, checked out some of its post-game content, and had a quick look at its predecessor -- Tales of Zestiria -- ??does my opinion of the game remain just as consistent as my initial impressions would have me believe??? For the most part, yes.

Tales of Berseria (PS3 [Japan only], PS4 [PS4 Pro reviewed], PC)
Developer: Bandai Namco Studios
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Released: August 18, 2016 (JP), January 24, 2017 (U.S. PS4), January 27, 2017 (EU and PC)
MSRP: $49.99 (PC), $59.99 (PS4)

Right from the outset, it becomes immediately apparent that the narrative of Tales of Berseria takes a decidedly dark tone. You play as Velvet Crowe; a woman who, having endured three years of imprisonment after witnessing her sickly younger broth?er be ritualistically sacrificed by a man who she formerly trusted, sets out on a crusade for revenge against the individual who caused her so much despair. 

While Tales of Berseria's narrative does contain several twists and turns -- as well as some fairly significant revelations that may be immediately recognisable to anyone who has taken a cursory glance at Zestiria -- Velvet's primary goal remains the same throughout the 50-hour adventure. This isn't to say that her motivations for revenge remain the same as the story progresses, but her primary objective is consistent throughout Berseria's runtime.

The game, itself, is also not short of emotionally-affecting or gut-wrenching moments. Tales of Berseria often tries to try and portray ?the main characters as villainous in nature, even if its actual antagonists can be significantly crueller in-action. 

Joining Velvet on her revenge-fuelled rampage is a ragtag cast of eclectic and sometimes-morally-ambiguous individuals. These characters each have their own motivations for joining up with Tales of Berseria's ludicrously-dressed heroine, as well ?as their own goals and ideals. For instance, Eleanor often acts as a foil for Velvet's more destructive tendencies, Laphicet can bring out the more human side of the game's protagonist, and Magilou's smug demeanour and penchant for terrible puns can often bring some much-needed levity to the table.

Like in other Tales games, Berseria also features optional skits that allow for the characters to elaborate on the situations that they find themselves in, provide more backstory, or serve as another form of comic relief. Some of these skits even showcase the best lines of dialogue that the game has to offer, and are well worth your time if you have any interest in Tales of Berseria's cast.

Alongside its quirky and likeable cast of characters, Tales of Berseria's greatest strength lies with its combat system. This real-time battle system is both fast-paced and responsive, and heavily emphasises stamina (which is referred to as a 'Soul Gauge') and ??resource management. At the start of each battle, party members will have a set number of Souls which can increase or decrease based on vari??ous criteria.

For instance, inflicting a status condition on an enemy or defeating them will increase a character's Soul count by one. This, in turn, allows them to perform more actions on the battlefield, such as dodging, blocking or performing Artes. Likewise, should an enemy inflict a status condition upon one of your party members, that character's Soul count will d??rop by one.

Party members also have access to 'Break Souls,' which allows them to perform some potentially devastating abilities on the battlefield. The trade-off to this, however, is that it will increase their opponent's Soul count by one w??hile also reducing their own by the same amount. The result of this is that it's entirely possible for a player to misjudge the effect of their abilities and wind up bolstering their opponent's abilities.

Suffice it to say, knowing when to perform these abilities, when to back away from an enemy and knowing the opportune moment to strike is paramount to mastering Tales of Berseria's combat system. There is a downside, though, in that it's entirely possible to button mash your way to victory in most cases on the game's default difficulty setting. The combat system only shines on higher difficulty settings and when facing off against tougher bo?sse??s.

So, let's talk about Tales of Berseria's visuals. From the moment you start this game, it becomes clear that it was built with the limitations of the PlayStation 3 in mind. This is because -- in Japan, at least -- it also saw a release on Sony's decade-old home console. The result of this is that many of the environments seem somewhat simp?listic in terms of design, and a many of the game's?? textures appear blurry and blocky when viewed close-up.

From a technical perspective, Tales of Berseria is in no way an impressive game. Thankfully, the game does at least sport a rather pret??ty art style which, in-action, can look quite effective. Despite the dated graphics on offer, many environments, such as the Manann Reef and the game's final dungeon, still managed to impress me from an artistic standpoint.

The other benefit to eschewing a more graphically intensive visual style is that it helps ensure that the game's performance remains consistent and smooth. Rarely, if ever, did I experience any significant or noticeable dips in Tales of Berseria's framerate. No matter how chaotic an action sequence got, performan??ce remained incredibly consistent throughout. I must stress, however, that I was only able to test this game out on a PS4 Pro, and it's entirely possible that this may not be the case for owners of a base PS4 console.

Nonetheless, I'd love to see what could be accomplishe?d shoul??d Bandai Namco Studios decide to drop Sony's decade-old console when working on a future instalment in this series.

On the topic of environmental design, Tales of Berseria opts to forgo the more open-ended locales that were featured quite prominently in Zestiria in favour of much smaller, more constrained maps. These environments are often littered with collectables, such as herbs that increase a character's stats, enemies to battle, Katz Spirits -- which can be used to acquire var??ious pieces? of cosmetic gear -- and treasure chests.

While this might be a bit of a letdown to anyone who would have preferred that Bandai Namco Studios refine or expand upon the more open-ended environments of Zestiria, I can't help but find this change to be for the better. Tales of Berseria is a highly linear and guided affair. While the game does feature the occasional side-quest, these distractions aren't the focus of Tales of Berseria. In this sense, the smaller and more linear environments comp?lement this more focused and guided style of gameplay and storytelling rather nicely.

Unfortunately, Tales of Berseria's dungeons aren't particularly excellent.? Almost all the dungeons in the game consist of a series of corridors with the occasional branching path, and with puzzles that could be accurately described as "mindless." Most of the puzzles contained within these dungeons involve finding and pressing a switch of some form to open the door required to progress, with little in the way of variation.

As I mentioned in my Review in Progress, the word "consistent" could easily be used to accurately describe the bulk my experience with Tales of Berseria. For the most part, I still agree with this sentiment. As I've already mentioned, the game'??s framerate remains mostly stable, but I also found that the game's story moves at a very consistent ??pace, with new areas and environments being introduced every few hours.

Sadly, this isn't always the case, and there are a few circumstances where the game will force you to revisit previously-completed dungeons to progress through the story. This becomes especially prevalent in the game's second half, where you'll find yourself revisiting the prison island from Tales of Berseria's opening chapters with great frequency.

The game's difficulty, too, is relatively consistent. Never once did I feel as if the game required that I linger in an area for too long just so I can grind for experience points or equipment. By simply downing almost all the enemies that I came across, I never once found myself in a situation where I felt outmatched by any of the challenges that the game threw at me. Of course, this does change once you bump the difficulty to a higher setting -- where enemies will be of a significantly higher level, and where healing is less effective -- but anyone who intends to play the game on its Normal mode will likely never feel as if Tales of Berseria's challenges are insurmountable.

In this respect, I can't help but come to the conclusion that Bandai Namco's decision to offer level-boosting DLC is a poor one, as it may give off the impression that the game will do everything in its power to goad players into buying into what can only be described as a pay-to-win scheme. This isn't the case, and while I won't dictate what people should or shouldn't do with their finances, I'd advise against buying this sort of content. Not only is it a form of "pay-to-win" DLC that further trivialises an already-easy game, but it's also entirely unnecessary given that Tales of Berseria barely?? requires the player to grind for levels in the fir??st place.

I also found it frustrating that Tales of Berseria completely? disables the use of the PS4's Share butto?n throughout the duration of the game. As someone who takes a lot of screenshots of games, the decision to disable this feature was just a little bit irritating, even if it wasn't a deal-breaker by any means.

Tales of Berseria may not be the most ambitious or innovative game ever, but that's entirely okay. It may have a handful of issues, not least of which includes its forced backtracking, occasional reuse of dungeons and its uninspired puzzles. At the same time, its characters are often likeable and entertaining, its tale of revenge is intriguing, and its combat system is fast-paced and responsive. If you're already a fan of -- or are curious about getting into -- the Tales series, this is one to check out.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Tales of Berseria appeared first on Destructoid.

A tale of revenge

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a newcomer to Bandai Namco's Tales series. In the past, I've only played small snippets of both Tales of Xilla 2 and Tales of Hearts R, and for one reason or another, have yet to sink my teeth into th??e rest of the franchise.

Of course, that's not to say I have anything against these games. Far from it, it's been a series that I've wanted to dive deeper into for quite some time now, as I enjoyed my very brief moments with the two aforementioned Tales games.

So, when I got my hands on a copy of Tales of Berseria, I wasn't entirely sure what I should have been expecting. I did have an inkling as to how the game would play out from a mechanical standpoint, at the same t?ime, there were still a lot of unknowns.

How would the latest instalment in the Tales series fare with someone who is, for all intents and purposes, a newcomer to thes??e games? Pretty damn well, actually.

Tales of Berseria (PS3 [Japan only], PS4 [PS4 Pro reviewed], PC)
Developer: Bandai Namco Studios
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Released: August 18, 2016 (JP), January 24, 2017 (U.S.), January 27, 2017 (EU)
Price: $59.99

Throughout the kingdom of Midgand, a terrible affliction known as the Daemonblight, which turns its victims into horrible and bloodthirsty monsters, has begun to infect ??many of the empire's citizenry. Within the kingdom exists a religious organisation with a great level of political importance known as the Abbey, which commands its Exorcists -- soldiers who can fight these Daemons -- to? keep the scourge at least partially contained.

In a remote village in Midgand, Velvet Crowe --?? the game's m??ain heroine -- lives out her days looking after her sickly younger brother after many in her family fell to the Daemonblight. 

Things take an even darker turn during an event that's later known as the Advent. During that night, Velvet's younger brother is taken from her by a man who she had previously thought highly of. Velvet, herself, is also transformed into a Daemon with the power to devour oth??ers of her kind to claim their abilities as her own.

Fast-forward three years. Velvet has spent this time imprisoned and forced to consume any Daemon that's been flung into her vicinity. There, a malak named Seres breaks her out. Donning a ridiculous outfit and a h??arsh demeanour, Velvet partakes in a quest to kill the man who caused her so much pain. A man who, incidentally, has since ascended to the highest ranks of the Abbey.

The story of Tales of Berseria is relatively easy to follow, even if it's yet to stray far from this main theme of revenge. Even after investing over 20 hours into the game, Velvet hasn't undergone any significant changes in chara?cter s??ince its opening chapters. Despite this somewhat typical narrative, the game's cast makes it an enjoyable experience nonetheless.

Joining Velvet in her quest for vengeance is a ragtag team of morally a?mbiguous individuals, each of which have ??their own (often selfish) motivations for partnering with her. Some real stand-outs include Rokurou and Magilou, with the latter of the two often coming across as if she's the personification of pure and unadulterated smugness.

Something that I do appreciate is that each of Velvet's party members has received enough screen time for me to appreciate them, with the story often going out of its way to allow these characters to further their own individual causes and side-stories. They're also simply fun to listen to, and they often bring some much-needed levity to the table whenever it's most required. For as dark as Tales of Berseria's main st?ory is, these characters often manage to make the game feel a lot more lighthearted and funny than it otherwise could have been.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of Tales of Berseria lies with its combat ??system, which puts a heavy emphasis on stamina and resource management. While it may appear almost "button mashy" at first glance, knowing when to take advantage of an opportune moment to strike and when to step back to regain your stamina (or 'Soul Gauge,' as the game puts it) is paramount in order to emerge from a fight victorious. Simply button mashing ?your way to victory may occasionally work against smaller opponents, but in a larger encounter against a more powerful foe, it will very quickly lead to frustration.

Essentially, you begin each battle with three Souls, although this figure can be changed based on specific conditions. These Souls determine how many attacks you can perform before your Soul Gauge fully depletes, which in turn makes your moves a lot easier to both block and counter. By inflicting status conditions upon an enemy or defeating them, you can increase your Soul Gauge, allowing you to perform even more actions before you must make a st??rategic retreat. In turn, an enemy can decrease this gauge by inflicting a status condition upon you.

You also have access to Break Souls, which deplete your Soul Gauge by one while also bolstering your opponent's. The ben?efit to this is that it allows you to dish out excessively heavy damage to your enemies. Of course, i?f used incorrectly, this ability may just give your opponents the upper hand against you, so it's somewhat of a double-edged sword.

The only major downside to this is that it can occasionally ??feel a bit too easy on the Normal difficulty setting. So much so that I can easily see myself bumping the ??difficulty up before I get around to finishing this game. Many encounters don't feel as perilous as I'd like, and I've not yet run into anything that can defeat my party.

Throughout my 21 hours of play time, Tales of Berseria has been a strictly linear affair. There aren't all that many side-objectives or distractions to convince players to stray from the beaten path, although th?ere are plenty of opportunities to scan the environment for items that permanently boost the stats of an individual party member, equipment, or Katz Spirits -- the l?atter of which can be used to acquire various cosmetic gear. 

Individual maps in Tales of Berseria are also relatively small, although these environments are often interconnected in order to form a larger region, with practically no load times when traversing from one area to the next. While this linearity may wind up bothering players who'd prefer a more open-ended game world, it's not without its advantages. For s??tarters, the game's story moves at a fairly even pace, thanks in part to the lack of nebulous distractions. I've also yet to run into any unfair difficulty spikes or enemies that vastly out-level my party. The downside, of course, is that some environments feel akin to a narrow corridor.

From a technical standpoint, Tales of Berseria's visuals aren't at all impressive. Textures can appear ?blurry and blocky when viewed close-up, and many environments can feel almost simplistic in terms of design. It becomes clear that this is a game built with the PS3 in mi?nd, which makes sense as it was also released on this console in Japan.

Thankfully, Tales of Berseria makes up for this with an art style that can look simply gorgeous in-action (provided you're a fan of anime-esque visuals) and a framerate that almost never dips. No matter how chaotic action sequences can get, Tales of Berseria manages to retain a consistent? and smooth level of performance throughout, although this does come with the caveat that I was only able ??to test the game out on a PS4 Pro.

In fact, "consistent" could very much describe the bulk of my experience with Tales of Berseria as of 21 hours of play time. Not only does?? it apply to the game's level of performance, but it could also be used to describe its difficulty and even the pacing of its story.

So far, I've yet to feel the need to linger in an area for an overly period in order to grind for experience or ?equipment. By simp?ly exploring the environment to collect items and Katz Spirits, and by not avoiding enemy encounters whenever they show up, I've never felt as if I need to stay in any one area for longer than what feels required. The result is that the story constantly feels as if it's going forward, with new areas and environments being introduced every few hours.

For as much as I'm enjoying Tales of Berseria, I do still have a few nitpicks. For sta??rters, I feel like the story itself is a little rushed in the opening chapters, which in turn diminishes the emotional impact that these few hours could have had. I simply hadn't had enough time to truly get to know the characters involved. This is even more of a shame when yo?u consider that the rest of the game's pacing is quite decent.

There's also the fact that the game doesn't allow players to use the PS4's Share button to take screenshots or record video. As someone who takes as m??any screenshots as possible of a game that they're playing, I couldn't help but find this to be a bit annoying. This certainly isn't a deal-breaker by any means, but it is somewhat inconvenient nonethel??ess.

As of around 21 hours of play time, I haven't seen much in Tales of Berseria that's all that new or groundbreaking. Th?e game itself has been a strictly linear affair, without many distractions that could impede upon the progress of the story itself. As well as this, the game's main tale of revenge and bloodlust hasn't been much to ??write home about, either.

Where the game does shine, however, is with its likeable and eclectic bunch of morally ambiguous characters ?and with its combat system, which is simply a joy to play.

As it stands, Tales of Berseria may not be the most a??mbitious or innovative JRPG, but that's perfectly okay. It?? makes up for this by providing a highly polished and entertaining experience, and I can say with absolute certainty that I'm excited to see this story through to its completion.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review in Progress: Tales of Berseria appeared first on Destructoid.

Tales of the Encrypt

The idea of Japanese role-playing games releasing day one on PC is still pretty foreign to me, so I had forgotten Tales of Berseria  was doing just that. It's a good t??rend, but the bad news for some is that it will use Denuvo, Bandai Namco revealed along with technical specifications. Of course it spells trouble for pirates, but I've heard lots people having difficulty getting through or around this seeming heavy DRM to get to their games. I've either never played a game with Denuvo or didn't notice I did, so I can't comment either way on that.

Bandai Namco explains this decision quite openly; "We love the community: it is you guys that ensure that we continually bring more Tales games out, and to a high caliber. It wouldn’t be fair to you if we didn’t put any systems in place to prevent people who try to acquire the game through illegitimate means as it eventually will slow us down bringing games onto PC. Denuvo has been proven ?to be a reliable way to fight piracy. So far, no conclusive evidence is proven to disrupt the player experience."

Requiring just a minimum of 2GB of RAM and ??a Radeon HD 4850 or GeForce 9800 GTX (recommended 4GB of RAM and a 7870 or GTX 560), even people with lowly computers like mine will be able to run it. My 5850 might not be enough to play this game at its default 60fps, but luckily flabby-armed graphics cards like mine will have the option to set it to 30fps. 

Bandai Namco also adds that it will support 4K b??ut that it will be upscaled. At least they're upfront and hones?t about it.

Details about the PC version of the game [Tales Blog]

The post Tales of Berseria PC version will use Denuvo, which Bandai says is not d?isruptive appeared first on Destructoid.

Don't piss on my head and call it rain

There's been a lot of outrage over Japanese games getting censored over the years, particularly with respect to sexuality. Lingerie outfits were replaced with Zelda and Samus costumes in Fatal Frame 5, swimsuits were changed to fashionable streetwear in Tokyo Mirage Sessions, and the ability to view Kairi's underwear was removed in Kingdom Hearts 1.5. Call it censorship, appealing to regional sensitivities, or whatever you want, changes are made. It's not true such changes or censorship happen now more than in the past, but thanks to the witchcraft that is the internet, we are able to see w??hat games are like before they are localized and thus complain about differences.

With recent controversy in mind, DualShockers asked Tales producer Yasuhiro Fukaya whether they would censor Velvet's, the main protagonist, clothes which are quite tattered and revealing. Fukaya assured everyone by saying "I promise. Velvet's costume will surely be the same in the western version" and further added "I believe that those who support the Tales Of series like to have exactly the same content as the Japanese version. We believe ??it’s ideal and the best option to bring exactly the same game experience and design to the we??stern countries."

Well, his promise appears to be kept, at least on the clothing front. However, despite his beliefs, we won't be getting the exact same game. The censorship is surprisingly not about sexual content, but rather a vio??lent scene where a certain character is injured. Specifically, the J??apanese version shows the character being stabbed clean through the abdomen, but the western version instead shows the character floating and being hit by a magical attack of some sort. Here is the scene in question: Warning: potential spoilers.

An apology explanation wa?s made on the Tales Series? Facebook page, stating the game would not be able to retain its "16 rating" if they did not change that scene. They state the story impact is the same and that "Everything else is exactly the same as the Japanese version." This game and this scene isn't going to be revered like a Shakespearean play either way, but changing something as simple as the method of attack or murder can diminish emotional investment and the overall effectiveness of a scene. Mufasa's death in The Lion King would not be the same if Scar merely ??caste??d a magic death spell on him.

Due to the potential spo?iler-y nature of this scene, I originally chose to not report on it. But it's pretty damn bold to show off that very scene in your newest story trailer. So maybe it's not spoiling much after all, since they're showcasing it?? in trailers. All in all it looks like a solid game that I'll definitely be playing, but there's going to continue to be murmurs about preserving artistic expression versus securing lower ratings for the sake of money.

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January is soon enough

Bandai Namco has finally given us a firm release date for Tales of Berseria, which was released this past August in Japan.

It'll be arriving on January 24 on PS4,?? and January 27 on Steam in the west. That's "2017" for all you calendar-challenged folks like me, who will be writing "2015" still on everything and hopi??ng no one notices.

Naturally there's a special edition planned, which is limited to 10,000 copies and packs in all sorts of goodies like 8-bit keychains, cards, figures, an audio CD, strategy guide, a novel (!), and a steelbook case. You have to give it to these Japanese-minted special editions -- they're generally much better than western ones that sometimes don't even come with the game.

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Set to a new single by Flow

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The card game looks neat

While Zestiria was a good old fashioned Tales game, I think Berseria looks a bit flashier -- a little more interesting ??overall. And this overview tr?ailer from Japan really helps its case, showing off the unique cast, flavorful battle system, and bright landscapes. There's even a 'lil surfing, card game, and minigame action. It's got heart, kid.

Yes, I could go for another fantastic Tales game, and I hope this is it. Tales of Berseria will arr??ive in August in Japan, and "Quarter 1" of 2017 in the west.

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For PS4 and PC

Tales of Berseria is comin?g to ?western shores in early 2017, Bandai Namco has announced.

The JRPG was previously announced for an August 18 debut in Japan, where the studio plans to put out a PlayStation 3 po??rt, in addition to the PlayStation 4 and PC versions that will be released elsewhere. 

The most recent entry in the series, Tales of Zestiria, came to the same three platforms last year.

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Still no western window

Tales of Berseria wil??l launch on August 18, 2016 on PS4, Bandai Namco has?? announced. To celebrate, the publisher has kicked off a new trailer for the game, which shows off a decent amount of gameplay and anime cutscenes in 60fps. It's pretty snazzy, and the demon arm gimmick is selling me pretty hard.

Although it has been confirmed for a US and EU release, there is still no target window in sight. For reference, Zestiria? took nine months to localize, so we're likely look?ing at 2017 in the west.

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Coming this year in Japan

Remember that new Tales game? That one with the si??lly endearin??g name?

Yeah, Tales of Berseria!

Bandai Namco is showing off some new footage for the upcoming PC, PS3, and PS4 RPG, and it looks amazing, as usual. The br??ight, beautiful art style is showcased well with some anime footage and a bit of gameplay, d?etailing some of the core cast and bits of the combat system. It's all looking great so far and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

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Also, new character overviews

Tales of Berseria is still a ways off (it doesn't even have a release date in Japan yet, though a localization has been confirmed), but that hasn't stopped Namco Bandai from sharing some new information. Apparently the theme ?will be "emotion and reason," as the story centralizes around Velvet, who comes across people who only act on reason, abandoning the concept of emotion. It'll also center around a disease called "Goma," which morphs humans into monsters -- strangely, Velvet's left hand can transform into an inhuman appendage, which will probably work into the Goma concept at some point.

It will debut with the Linear Motion Battle System (LMBS), which features free-running, and Artes, which are abilities mapped to each face button -- they've altered this from past setups, so the player can use the left stick entirely? for movement, and two additional face buttons for Artes (sounds good).

Tales of Berseria details theme, se??tting, story, characters, and battle system [Gematsu]

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First woman-led Tales tale

Bandai Namco's Tales of Berseria was announced in the middle of this year for PS3 and PS4 in Japan. That has since received a 2016 launch date in Japan.

Today, the company confirmed its plan to bring the newest Tales of game to North and South America, but only for the PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam. Berseria is the first Tales of game to be solely led by a female protagonist. That's Velvet, "the embodiment of darkness," thanks to, "fes??tering anger and hatred after a traumatic experience three years prior."

??She's?? balanced by Laphicet, a young boy, "created in the image of light."

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New trailer

Tales of Berseria will launch next year on PS3 and PS4, Bandai Namco has confirmed. Accompanying the announcem?ent is a new trailer, which actually gives us a hefty amount of gameplay, both in terms of combat and field exploration. It will start a female protagonist named Velvet as she exploreds the Midgand Sacred Kingdom.

I don't know what it i??s, but "Berseria" sounds especially ridiculous to me. I mean, "Zestiria" has a regal ring to it, "Xillia" sounds almost extraterrestrial in nature, but "Berseria" is the one that makes me giggle the most. Go figure.

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Just a quick peek

Bandai Namco just released the first footage of Tales of Berseria in motion, showing off a range of environments, including a ??tropical coastal locale, a temperate forest, and snow-coated cityscape.

The publisher still hasn't revealed much about the project to date, but we know it takes place in the king?dom of Midgand, a land of extreme climates where sailing is a key element of society.

No word yet? on a Japanese release window, let alone one for North America and Europe.

Tales of Berseria is currently in development for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, but I wouldn't rule out a PC release, given its predecessor Tales of Zestiria was just confirmed for the platform.

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No launch plans announced just yet

Today at the annual Tales of Festival in Yokohama, Bandai Namco revealed the next entry in its long-running RPG franchise. As you might have gathered from the headline, it's called Tales of Berseria and is coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation?? 4.

While details are scarce at the moment, we know the story centers around a female protagonist named Velvet. She's being voiced by Japanese voice actress Rina Sato, who previously played the role of Presa in Tales of Xillia. No informa?tion regarding a release window was announced.

The latest entry in the series to see a western release was Tales of Hearts R, which arrived on PlayStation Vita late last year. Bandai Namco is currently working on a localization for Tales of Zestiria (PS3) and is targeting a 2015 launch for Nor?t?h America and Europe.

Tales of Berseria [Bandai Namco, Inside Games]

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