Tales of Vesperia

"For years, detractors have labeled the conventional Japanese RPG a dated genre that simply doesn't have a place among the likes of Gears of War and Halo. Tales of Vesperia exposes that assertion for what it truly is: a load of bunk. Traditional elements -- an anime-styled cast, a lush, expansive overworld, and a familiar fantasy setting -- will always be welcome, so long as they're done well. And Vesperia succeeds as well as any Japanese RPG this generation."

"I'm not telling you to run out and buy it as the next big innovation in role playing, though; I'm saying if you have a soft spot in your heart for RPG games and you liked the other Tales titles, then this is a pretty safe bet for you."

"Tales of Vesperia is an incredibly deep experience. Thanks to the high quality of each of its parts (gameplay, plot, graphics, music, voice-acting), it�s deeply satisfying even when it�s mind-blowingly frustrating. You could be done with the story arc in 30-40 hours, but between optional bosses, hidden dungeons, side-quests and the glorious cooking system, you could spend months exploring the wide word in Tales of Vesperia."

"At its core, Tales of Vesperia isn't very different from its predecessors, but it's easily the best game in the series thanks to its great cast of characters and clever balance of storytelling and gameplay. It's beautiful, it's engaging, and it's fun, and while it won't challenge your combat prowess, it will challenge what you should expect from a modern RPG. This is, by any standard, the best recent example of how an aging series can be updated for contemporary consoles while still delivering what fans expect."