What do you guys think about Tale's future in America. As for me, I think it's very bleak and unpopular. First of all, Abyss didn't sell that much more than Legendia, and Symphonia obviously beated both in sales. Legendia's localization was great, Abyss wasn't as good because several glitches were *ahem* added on accident. Anyways, I think Namco of America's lack of advertising is the main cause of the lack of popularity of Tales. Relying on current fans isn't smart unless they have MILLIONS of fans. Like Nintendo and Final Fantasy. (AND SCII)

Tales will never have a true place in America...though it saddens me... ='( :sob:
I haven't picked up a tales game and played it since lastyear in September....

Well, I import, so I couldn't care much, because for some reason, with my TOTAL lack of Japanese I am still able to dead my tales games without strategy guides.

Reviewers says that the Tales games relies heavily on button-mashing.

Obviously, they've never played on higher difficulties than Simple and Normal. Or turned off Semi-Auto, for that matter.

I do want Bandai-Namco to bring in more Tales games over to North American AND Europe(Europe only has Eternia on PSP and Symphonia). The quality of the translations and voices are fairly good. Symphonia sold well because Gamecube was dying in terms of "Lack-of-RPGs".

Please, Namco, BRING IN DESTINY R! I'll buy FIVE COPIES OF IT!... exaggerating that one a lil'. >_>

People who call Tales button-mashers are stupid. Tales is more than just pressing a bunch of buttons until the enemies died. Biased reviewers will say anything to make a game to look bad. Shame on them...it's because of people like them that decent games never get tried out. No wonder all the crappy games are so popular.

Button mashing. Reminds me of one of my friends. Even when playing as a mage, he still tries pressing as much buttons as he can (and in Symphonia too)

Everytime a Final Fantasy game does better than a Tales one, I kill a Sony employee.

It sickens me how nobody seems to appreciate the Tales series. And why? Because it's the best damn game series I've ever played. We Europeans are limited to Symphonia on the GC, Phantasia on the GBA and Eternia on the PSP. I've only played the first two, but I love them more than nearly all my other games put together. And why? Well, let's see what makes Tales better than Final Fantasy, shall we?

1 - Graphics
Once upon a time there was a king of Squareland called King Mittenhand. He suffered from Chronic Mitten Hand Syndrome which meant that his hands were sown together like mittens, making it impossible for him to use his individual fingers. In revenge, he had his subjects sow everybody else's hands together. And thus was Final Fantasy cursed with this stupid flaw. Oh yes, and blockiness.

Magazines say that Tales has a poor frame rate, but I've never had any trouble with it. Final Fantasy has some appalling graphics. Characters bodies are superglued together making motion horrible to look at. Tales, on the other hand, has fluidity and the best damn character and enemy design I've ever seen. Cloud, Sephiroth... this lot is easily forgettable. Spikey hair... emo clothes... um... like... wow. Kratos Aurion, Dhaos, Cless Alvein... these are characters who look cool and who you never forget. And it doesn't end there. Undine, Yggdrasil... even the simplest generic animals. They're all designed brilliantly.

2 - Sound
I am currently listening to Tales music, I am only using Tales (and NAMCO) music in my fan-made Tales game. And why? Tales music is great!! And so is the voice acting (mostly). GBA Phantasia aside, Van, Kratos, Luke... This lot sound emotional and very powerful. Final Fantasy has nothing on this. Come on, who the hell hired Tidus and Yuna's actors to do that painful and unconvincing laugh scene anyway?! And Advent Children. Don't. Get. Me. Started. Just don't.

I find it easy to forget the Final Fantasy songs because they're simple and repetative. Tales has some fantastic tracks. Rebel Against Destiny, Coup de Grace, Refil ~ Relical Mode ~... Just to name a few. These are brilliant and it's an insult to compare Final Fantasy's poor efforts to them.

3 - Gameplay
I like turn-based games, but Final Fantasy is so hideously slow that it makes you aware of your own impending mortality. I would rather lick a chimpanzee than sit through the painfully tedious Knights of the Round once more. Action in Tales is fast, thick and furious. Button-bashing? How about you (permission to swear, Sunny?) arsehole reviewers take the game off Normal mode. Do you have any idea how rock-hard Mania is? Or how satisfying it is to chain together huge combo's? I think you're just making these excuses as to why Tales "is not awesome" up off the top of your head. I rarely finish games and go back to them. Tales of Symphonia is one of the few that's had me playing through repeatedly just because I loved it so much!!

4 - Characters and Storyline
Cliche'dness out the way (lets face it, every RPG starts with a cliche, so just deal with it) Tales constructs a much better story than Final Fantasy. The characters bond with each other. The skits highlight their development so much more. The plots become epic. From Dhaos's mission for Derris Kharlan to the phenomenal idea that Tales of the Abyss 's lead villain has in order to escape Yulia's Score. From Yggdrasil's world without discrimination to the summoning of Geyorkias to rid the world of humanity once and for all so that the Gajuma can live in peace... one word. Epic.

All Final Fantasy's characters do is generally mope around angsting. There's a side-story involving a magic stone set or a meteorite or something or other.

The only possible explanation is that Satan himself - in his earthly guise of Ken Kutagari - is forcing people to buy Final Fantasy games over the Tales ones, and Namco's demoralisation causes them to stop advertising.

If you are reading this Namco, I advise you to send copies of Tales of the Abyss along with a PS2 out to EVERY HOME IN THE WHOLE BLOODY WORLD!! It's the only way to make the Final Fantasy-loving masses see what a GOOD RPG is.

For some reason, that comparison sounded a little bit biased. So here's another comparison.

Final Fantasy VS Tales Series
Graphics:
You can't argue that the latest Final Fantasies have the best graphics anyone has ever seen. In terms of that, Final Fantasy XII > Tales of the Abyss in graphics. Then again... I prefer sprites loads more, so Tales of Destiny > FF12. There's nothing wrong with Abyss' or Symphonia's or Legendia's graphics, though.
As for the frame rate. Only PS2 3-D Tales games seems to have a minor slowdown, but that's barely noticeable and is probably MY PS2's fault.

Final Fantasy: 9/10 (Lost 1 because of FF7's crappy graphics.)
Tales Series: 8/10

Music:
Nobuo Uematsu is an excellent composer. Hell, his best work is on Final Fantasy IX. I remember at least 80% of all the songs in that game.
Motoi Sakuraba is the master of remixes. I mean, who else can fit 5 or 6 battle themes from past Tales games into one hard-rockin' cameo battle song?
Go Shiina... is awesome. Seeking Victory owns.

Final Fantasy: 9/10
Tales Series: 10/10

Voice Acting(US):
Tales slaughters Final Fantasy in this one. They all sound NORMAL. Final Fantasy people need accents? Pfft. Baasch, or Vaasch, whatever the hell his name is can just go to hell.

Final Fantasy: 4/10
Tales Series: 9/10

Story:
Save the world, blah blah blah, yatta yatta. We've seen it used 1430752384789024357 times already.
This applies to Tales, too. But it may end up saving TWO worlds.

Final Fantasy: 7/10
Tales Series: 7/10

Characters:
Y'know how in Tales your party members get to interact with yours a lot, especially Symphonia, and how you get to explore the past of your pals? That hardly happens in FF. I can go through Final Fantasy VIII without having to deal with that Zell jerk. Because poor Robert(If you don't get it, then don't.) wants to stay away from all the idiots. Too bad 1/2 his party is of idiots. Especially Rinoa. At least FFVII took a stab at it, with the date on the 1 disc. But that was with only 4 possible people... taking a look in people's past made the game tons more confusing in FF.

Final Fantasy: 5/10
Tales Series: 9/10

Humour:
Kinda equal here. From Zidane's hit-ons to Zelos getting his assed kicked by Shihna.

Final Fantasy: 10/10 (Because everyone's stupidity in the game makes me laugh.)
Tales Series: 10/10
At World's End: 100/10 (Awesome movie, by the way.)

Serious-ness:
Tales yet again wins this match. The whole world already knows that Aerith dies. But even though I saw Lion's death coming, I nearly cried in that scene. And I hardly cry unless I'm kinda dying in the hospital or I contradict my own morals.

Final Fantasy: 7/10 (-3 for Aerith)
Tales Series: 9/10

Gameplay:
Sure, FF12 looks nice, but it pales in comparison with Abyss. Why? All you can do in FF12 was set some commands and your party with do everything. And you just watch. There's no point in making them move around! WTF?! The rest of the FF games are okay, hell even FFX-2 sped things up a bit. Omega Weapon does prove to be slighty difficult.
Tales Series kept improving the battle system to faster, more complex systems. They give you the ability to move on the Z-axis, perform aerial combos, shoot lasers from a stuffed doll, Cameo Battles, Intensive Hidden Bosses like Abyssion, ... the list goes on.

Final Fantasy: 7/10 (-3 for FF12.)
Tales Series: 10/10 (Obviously.)

Totals:
Final Fantasy: 58/80
Tales Series: 72/80

So... Tales wins. *Edgeworth bows down*

Anything that shows Final Fantasy getting its arse kicked by Tales gets my vote. I still don't think much of Final Fantasy's graphics. Very blocky and hand-mitteny. Still. -_-

LMAO, both of your posts made my day. I have nothing to add. ^__^; Now I won't ban myself over that 100th member. D: (I wasn't going to anyways)

EDIT: Lyrrad - Yay Edgeworth bow!

As for the graphical debate - I won't pretend that Tales in inferior. But graphics doesn't make a good game. Well..part of it effects it.

Well, I haven't played the original Phoenix Wright. *Shot* But I played Justice for all, so...

*von Karma bow*