To be completely straightforward, Tales of Vesperia is one of my all-time favorite JRPGs! As a teenager on Nintendo's official NSider Forums, I would spend a lot of time reading posts about the recently released Tales of Symphonia, wishing for the day I could eventually play it for myself. Sadly, that wouldn't happen until the PlayStation 3 release many years later, but in the meantime, I made my dream come true in a slightly different way—by jumping into Tales of Vesperia instead.
A Memorable Quest for a Copy
As someone who had recently bought an Xbox 360, it didn't take me long to discover a new entry in the series was available, and exclusive to the console. Of course, there was a Japanese PlayStation 3 release—with more content, might I add—but for us in the West, this was all we had. So I saved up my money, tracked down a store roughly an hour away that actually had a copy, and convinced my parents to take me there. I didn't have a car of my own at that time, nor was I experienced driving in such large cities, so if they had said no, it would have been the end of it. Thankfully, they agreed, and we made a day trip out of it. While it didn't seem like anything special at the time, this little family shopping day is still one of my fondest memories, and I got to end it by coming home to play a great JRPG. Thankfully, I checked the game's disc before leaving, however, as the store tried to give me a scratched-up copy instead of the clean one.
Checking Every Box of a Classic RPG
Tales of Vesperia itself is a rare title that deals with themes seldom touched upon in games. With a great cast of characters, beautiful cel-shading, a fun, fighting-game-inspired combat system, and an old-school world map, it honestly checked every box that makes an RPG worth investing in. The world is packed full of unique locations to visit and explore, the series' famous skit system is at its best with complete voice acting, and the experience-based weapon upgrade system used for unlocking skills will surely satisfy those who enjoy the grind. While the slower-paced story might not be for everyone, I personally liked the more relaxed style they went for, which also made the larger events hit harder. I'll admit the final arc isn't my favorite, but by the end, I found myself investing dozens of hours into the post-game, seeking out every little secret I might have missed. I honestly didn't want to leave this world, and that's why I came back time and time again across the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. Each physical copy remains on my main display shelf to this day, where I expect them to remain forever.
And of course I can't forget to mention my Repede figure I was gifted by a friend! It remains on the shelf in my bedroom where my life also gets to look at it each and every day!
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