Tales of Xillia Message Board

Here's your first English trailer for Tales of Xillia 2, the Xillia sequel that's coming to North America and Europe next year for PS3. Read more...

Tales of Xillia is pretty awesome. You should totally play it. Read more...

The latest North American entry in Namco Bandai's beloved Tales series of role-playing games has arrived for the PlayStation 3, and the urge to dive right in is strong, but it's dangerous to go it alone — take these tips.Read more...

As a fan of Japanese role-playing games, you kind of have to get used to overwrought stories. There's some kind of meteor, or reborn god, or a god reborn as a meteor, and the hero has amnesia/a mysterious past/a tortured soul/a tragic destiny. High drama is pretty much par for the JRPG course, which is what makes PS3 exclusive Tales of Xillia such a wonderful surprise. It has the same kinds of trappings you'd expect from the genre, with man's misuse of nature threatening a cataclysmic catastrophe, but it's presented with a charming lack of artifice or self importance. You're on an incredibly important mission, but that's no reason to be a sourpuss about it, right?

You play as either Milla, the physical embodiment of the Four Spirits who benefit mankind, or Jude, a young med student who makes a horrifying discovery when he unwisely tags along after Milla one night. They're an unlikely pair, the deity and the doctor, but their chemistry is undeniable. The companions they pick up along the way are familiar RPG archetypes - the slick mercenary, the young girl who hides a great power, and so forth - but they act the way people accidentally thrust together toward a common goal probably would. They don't crest a hill to stare off into the distance and ponder their fate. They chat, they try to get to know each other, they tell jokes, they share stories. It's all so wonderfully ... normal. Inasmuch as trying to rescue the spirits of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water before they can be used to power a massive gun can be, anyway.

Hello PlayStation.Blog readers! I have great news to tell you all: Tales of Xillia is now available exclusively for PS3 in North America, both at retail and digitally on PlayStation Store.

Do you like adventure, over-worlds, mana, warring nations, great spirits, lesser spirits, upgradable shops, real-time battles, lovable characters, and huge bosses? Tales of Xillia has all those things, and more! Do you start to involuntarily shake with giddiness at the mere mention of a wyvern? Buddy, you better sit down, because we’ve got MULTIPLE WYVERNS!

Not only that, but Tales of Xillia also has two main protagonists. On one side we have Jude Mathis, a bright medical student attending the university in the capital city of Fennmont. On the other side you have Milla Maxwell, a mysterious woman who travels with four spirits and will stop at nothing to accomplish her mission. You get to choose whose side of the story you want to see, complete with unique cutscenes and events complementing each campaign.

Fortunately, both heroes give you access to the thrilling new battle system powering combat in Tales of Xillia. As with past Tales of games, enemy encounters in Tales of Xillia happen in real time. You have direct control over your character and their attacks, along with swapping out party members mid-battle and switching between fighters on the fly.

New to the series is the linking aspect of the battle system. You can link together with another party member who can provide support actions and special linked artes attacks. Knowing which party member will provide a specific support action or linked arte is a crucial tactic to take advantage of in desperate situations.

And that’s just scratching the surface of what Tales of Xillia has to offer! It’s a massive adventure with a diverse cast of characters, beautiful locations bursting with color, and an incredible battle system that goes well beyond traditional JRPGs. And if you enjoy Tales of Xillia, be sure to keep an eye out for its sequel, Tales of Xillia 2, as well as Tales of Symphonia Chronicles — both scheduled to arrive on PS3 next year.

And one more thing: be sure to check out PlayStation’s Twitter account. The fine folks there will be giving away a bunch of downloadable game codes for Tales of Xillia this week to lucky fans!

Just a month before the western release of the PS3 role-playing game Tales of Xillia comes news that we're getting its sequel, too: publisher Namco Bandai today announced that Tales of Xillia 2 will come to the west in 2014. Wonderful news, here. Between this, Bravely Default, and the Wii U RPG code-named X, 2014 is already sounding lovely for western fans of Japanese RPGs. Tales of Xillia is out August 6 in North America (and August 9 in Europe). For more on the series, check out my interview with producer Hideo Baba.

Tales of Xillia 2 will come to Europe in 2014, Namco Bandai reportedly announced at the Japan Expo in France. A Namco Bandai representative told Gematsu that the game will also see a North American release in 2014. The game first launched on PlayStation 3 in November 2012 in Japan.

Its predecessor, Tales of Xillia, is still on its way west too, as its English-localized version is slated to appear in North America on August 6 after it first launched in Japan in September 2011.

We've reached out to Namco Bandai to confirm Tales of Xillia 2's 2014 localization ourselves, and will update as we learn more.

Oh my, you look like you're having a serious anime deficiency. Have you tried watching Puchimas! Petit Idolmaster? How about the entire Princess Tutu series? Twice?! Oh boy, um, let's get you watching this Tales of Xillia trailer STAT and we'll figure out the rest from there.

PS3 exclusive RPG Tales of Xillia will offer a first-run limited edition for $60 when the game launches on August 6. This limited edition - not to be confused with the special edition - includes a copy of the game, a character profile booklet, music CD and two DLC costumes.

You can pre-order the limited edition through participating retailers starting now. If you already pre-ordered through an eligible retailer, your pre-order is automatically bumped up to the limited edition; contact your retailer to confirm.

The rumor of a PS3 HD re-release of Tales of Symphonia and Dawn of the New World looks to be no more than speculation. Earlier this month, series producer Hideo Baba gave fans hope of the bundle, rumored to be titled Tales of Symphonia: Perfect Edition, saying such a game would be "a representation of the dreams and hopes of the fans, who have long been wanting it." However, speaking to Joystiq on a recent European tour to promote Tales of Xillia, Baba expressed his surprise at the rumor.

"So last weekend I went to Madrid, Spain - to expomanga," Baba told us, "And I had a signing session with fans. And I was asked by one of the fans about this rumor. So he said, 'I heard of a rumor that Tales of Symphonia and Dawn of the New World are getting a 'Perfect Edition' on PS3, is it true?' And [my reaction was] 'What!?' [Baba laughs]. I didn't know anything about it so I was very surprised at that rumor."

Speaking to JPGames.de, Baba further clarified his comments.

"That fan then said that it's the tenth anniversary of Tales of Symphonia in Japan this year," Baba told JPGames.de, "And I just said that there might be something coming, as a celebration. But it will be more like a 'Tales of Café' or an event at NamcoCon... but we actually have no plans yet, there are only ideas."

So, while 2013 may see a few more Tales-related announcements, Perfect Edition isn't likely to be one of them. Altogether more certain is the arrival of the next Tales game, with Xillia signed up to spin yarns on August 6 in North America, and August 9 in Europe.

Tales of Xillia is heading to European PS3s on August 9, fitting nicely with the previously reported North American release date of August 6. Check out the English version of Tales of Xillia in the above trailer, along with some special editions right at the end.

Tales of Xillia reaches North American shores on August 6, according to reports by Kotaku and Gematsu. Series producer Hideo Baba recently pinned the PS3 JRPG for the west this summer, but both sites are reporting that window upgraded to a concrete NA release date at a recent media event. There's no word on a release date for Europe.

Speaking to Kotaku, Baba said there aren't any current plans for Tales games on the Wii U, PS4, or next Xbox. When asked about bringing recent Vita remakes Tales of Hearts R and Tales of Innocence R overseas, Baba said, "Unfortunately, at this present time we don't have any plans to release any of the Vita titles. One of the main reasons is unfortunately the PlayStation Vita is doing relatively poorly in North America, so it's one of those things that if the numbers increased considerably, then it's something we could consider."

We've reached out to publisher Namco Bandai for more info.

The 2013 western window for Tales of Xillia is upgraded now to the summertime. Series producer Hideo Baba announced the news on the PlayStation Blog this week, while also revealing 2012 retail release Tales of Graces F is coming to PSN next week on March 26. The Standard edition of Graces F is priced $34.99, while the Knight edition bundles in over ten pieces of DLC for $54.99.

If you're looking for a more exact North American date for the PS3-exclusive Xillia, it may be July 2. That's according to a screengrab of a GameStop computer database, as posted by IGN. The date may only a GameStop placeholder, so don't neglect a pinch of salt with it.

Meanwhile in Japan, Tales of Xillia 2, released in November, stormed its way to 500,000 sales before the end of 2012. Since we're only just finding out when the first Xillia will hit the west, we wouldn't advise raising your hopes of Xillia 2 news anytime soon. Having said that, Baba did tease further Tales-related "surprise announcements" this year.

It was around fifteen years ago now that a good friend of mine urged me to try out Tales of Destiny, which had recently come out on the PlayStation.

"I really like the characters, and it's funny," he told me. Pretty soon, he was finding ways to incorporate the characters in his fan-fiction, his favorite being the 16-year-old master swordsman Leon Magnus. He wasn't alone.

The Tales franchise has grown by leaps and bounds over the years, going from bona fide cult favorite to one of the most successful JRPG franchises this side of Final Fantasy. Unlike its competitors, the Tales series has been mostly content to stay the course over the past ten years or so. That remains the case for Tales of Xillia, which will please its now very vocal fanbase, even if it won't make many waves outside of the RPG community.

Tales of Xillia will include text in five different languages when it arrives in Europe in 2013, Namco Bandai announced. Along with German, French, and English text, which Namco also provided in the European release of Tales of Graces F, Xillia will include Spanish and Italian text.

There will also be a small amount of text in whatever language the word "Xillia" is in. All of the screenshots sent with the announcement have English text - except for those with no text, and you can interpret that silence in the language of your choice.

Hello everyone, my name is Ted Tsung and I am the North American Producer for Tales of Xillia for NAMCO BANDAI Games America. I’m happy to announce that we recently completed our voice recording session for the game, an extremely important part of the localization process. It’s a huge milestone for us to pass and it means that Tales of Xillia is that much closer to its 2013 release.

Eight hours of voice recording across an eight week span, filled with late nights catching up on emails, proofing, and preparation for the following day. It’s a grueling process that’s both physically and mentally taxing. Despite this, it was a fantastic experience, thanks to the support from Cup of Tea, 8-4, and the voice actors. I might be looking through rose-tinted glasses, but you won’t find a better group of people.

It’s always impressive to see how well voice actors can improvise on the spot. They have very little interaction with each other. The most exposure they’ll get with one another is hearing a voice that may be played back for reference. Otherwise, they’re stuck in a booth alone, quickly scanning a script they’ve never seen before, dishing out multiple takes for us to grab. It’s a draining process that requires a lot of attention from all parties.

After it’s all said and done, I believe people will be satisfied with the voices we chose for each character. When localizing games like those in the Tales of franchise, there’s always added pressure since the Japanese version typically comes out first.

I’m very much aware that it can be very jarring to someone hearing the English voices when they’re used to hearing the Japanese voices. However, I think our English cast matches the original intention of their character’s persona.

For example, we went with a much deeper voice for Milla. We needed her to maintain a very powerful and authoritative demeanor, so we didn’t find it appropriate maintaining the same pitch as her Japanese voice.

Similarly, we pitched down Jude a little bit as well. He maintains the same adolescent qualities as the Japanese version, but we figured the North American audience would prefer a lower, stronger voice.

As long-winded as the recording was, it was a gratifying one, and I really owe it to all the people I worked with. Everyone has done an outstanding job, and I hope the fans enjoy it.

#tales Like the Tales of Xillia 2 bus, here's a pair of cars (Auris and Aqua) that were turned into Tales itasha. More »

Good news for anyone who’s been enjoying Namco Bandai’s enormous JRPG Tales of Graces F since its launch back in August: its immediate successor, Tales of Xillia, is on its way exclusively to PlayStation 3 in 2013.

We’ve struggled our way through an hour or so of the original Japanese version, which launched overseas back in 2011, and the 13th entry in the long-running series brings with it a number of significant new innovations for the much-loved franchise. Duly, we took the time to check in with producer Hideo Baba while in Tokyo last month to find out exactly what fans should expect.

PlayStation Blog: What are the key new additions to the Tales formula since Tales of Graces?
Hideo Baba, Producer: There are many unique features in Xillia but I’d like to emphasise that the battle system is very unique and much improved over the previous title. Also, the portrayal of the game world and its atmosphere has also changed a lot too. In the previous games the characters were very deformed – they were much shorter – but with Xillia the team has tried to show the characters in realistic proportions so that we can really convey the huge size of the world more effectively. The player can really feel how large the world is now.

PSB: Can you put that into real terms? Just how big is Tales of Xillia?
HB: Well, that depends on the player. There are two main characters in the game – if you play through the story from both points of view it will take you more than 100 hours to finish.

PSB: Xillia originally launched in Japan over a year ago, while Tales of Graces F took 18 months to make it to Europe. Do you hope to reduce the localisation time for future Tales titles?
HB: I recognise how important it is to release a Western version as soon as possible after the Japanese release but sometimes some scenes prove difficult to describe in different languages. It’s very challenging to localise and properly convey the right sentiments to Western players. I would like to start a new method of localisation though – perhaps we could make the cinematic sequences in parallel with language translation to shorten the waiting time.

PSB: Many members of the PlayStation community would like to see an option to play the game with the original Japanese voice track. Is this something you’ve considered including?
HB: I receive so many requests from foreign players for Japanese voice tracks in the Western version! However, there are some difficulties with the company and the voice actors. That said, I will be considering the feasibility of it.

Here are over 9,000 screenshots of Dragon Ball Z: Kinect, Tales of Xillia and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 on Wii U from Tokyo Game Show. Over 9,000?! Okay, not really, but there are plenty - and one video.

#tales This fall, Tales of Xillia 2 will be released in Japan. Familiar faces will return, but the game takes a year after the first Xillia. Thus, some characters have aged—notably, Jude Mathis. A year is a long time when you are a teen, especially a teen in a JRPG. More »

Earlier this month, NAMCO BANDAI announced (via Twitter, no less), that they’d follow Tales of Graces f’s North American release with a Western version of Tales of Xillia.

This PS3-exclusive RPG is a celebration of sorts for the Tales series of RPGs, which had been around for 15 years at the time of the game’s release in Japan. But rather than just rehash classic elements, the Tales team took some chances, crafting a new battle system and a more grown-up visual style. The result, according to Famitsu, is the best Tales game yet.

Last week, I had a chance to pose some questions (including some of your Twitter queries) to Tales series producer Hideo Baba. Here are his answers:

Jeff Rubenstein, PlayStation Blog: Tales of Graces f came to PS3, but Vesperia didn’t hit PS3 in North America. Now Tales of Xillia has been announced for North America. How do you determine which titles in the series get a an English-language conversion?

Hideo Baba, NAMCO BANDAI Studios Inc.: Given the current resources assigned to the Tales of series team, I am always trying to find ways to assign staff members to work on a Western localized title as well as a new game for Japan when possible. However, the team’s main objective is to create new titles for Japan first, and unfortunately staff resources are not always available. Moving forward, I would really like to assemble teams to release as many of the main Tales of games overseas as possible.

PSB: Tales of Graces f’s battle system was well loved. Talk about Tales of Xillia’s Double Raid Linear Motion Battle System. How does it compare? What is new?

HB: Our fans, as well as ourselves, are always searching for the next evolution in the unique real-time Tales of battle system. With Tales of Graces f we were able to design and adjust that battle system into something that was acclaimed by both gamers and the press alike. However we were not completely satisfied and felt that it could be taken a bit further. With that challenge in front of us we created the Double Raid Linear Motion Battle System for Tales of Xillia. There are two big new features with DR-LMBS. The first one allows players to link two characters’ artes, which utilizes the game’s setting of two leading characters; Jude and Milla. The second is the Linked Artes system, which is a cinematic attack performed by two characters in a flashy combo. In addition to the fast paced and exhilarating battles many fans loved in Tales of Graces f, players will now be able to enjoy real-time action battles with two united characters.

PSB: At the beginning you’ll choose between two characters. How does the game change depending on if you go with Milla or Jude?

HB: Depending on which character the player chooses at the beginning of the game they will experience various story sequences play out from the point of view of either of our main characters; Jude or Milla. The main, overall storyline does not change between either Jude or Milla, but to experience the full story players will have to play the game as both characters.

PSB: Xillia is the best rated Tales of series ever in Japan; it received a 39/40 in Famitsu. What improvements have been made from Tales of Graces f that you think merited such critical acclaim?

HB: I believe the game was acclaimed because of its maturity as the 15th anniversary title in Japan. As I previously mentioned, we are always challenging ourselves to evolve the series and to develop each title that will surpass fan expectations from the last title. I think that these gameplay evolutions from game to game over the course of the past 15 years have helped the series earn its critical acclaim.

PSB: Artistically, Tales of Xillia is very different than the last few Tales games, featuring more “mature” character models. What audience is the story geared toward? Tales of Graces f felt aimed at a pretty young crowd.

HB: The main audience in Japan remains continues to be the core Tales of series fans. However, we know we need to acquire new fans while also keeping returning fans of the series invested in our new titles. The new character design is a big change for the series, and helps us attract new players without sacrificing the devoted Tales of fans. I think you may recognize Milla as a mature character in terms of her portrayal in the game. Our intentions with Milla, for example, is to create a woman with strong convictions that female players can aspire to be like when they grow up. Of course she is also portrayed to be adored by young men like Jude.

PSB: What was it like developing Tales of Xilia exclusively for PS3? Was it easier focusing on one platform?

HB: As I’ve mentioned before, the main market for the Tales of series is Japan, and the console highest in demand is the PlayStation 3. We’ll pursue the possibility of releasing titles on various hardware systems as the market changes, but for now we’ll develop the titles on PlayStation 3 to reach the most Japanese players as possible.

PSB: Tales of Xillia came out in Japan last year, but won’t drop in the West until next year. With this extra time, will the team provide any additions to the international version?

HB: I understand this concern well, but we consider the Japanese version of the game as a finished product and hope overseas fans can enjoy the game as it is. The same can be said for all the DLC content as well. There is no big change between the original Japanese version and the international version because we want to provide the same gameplay experience as much as possible between all regions.

Tales of Xillia is coming to North America and Europe in 2013. Until then, you have a gallery featuring dramatic close-ups like this one, allowing you to pass the time practicing your resolute stare.

During a Namco Bandai "fan conference" at Japan Expo (which you can watch live right now) the publisher announced plans to release the tales "flagship" game Tales of Xillia in the west. Namco UK's Tales account made the announcement public. No specific date has been announced for the Western version, but the account has specifically said the game will come to America as well as Europe.

In Japan, Tales of Xillia was released in September 2011, as a PS3 exclusive. A sequel was already announced for that region, due this year.

Finally. Namco Bandai is bringing PS3 action-RPG Tales of Xillia to the West, the company said at a fan conference today. More »

#talesof Here are some new official screenshots for upcoming Japanese role-playing game Tales of Xillia 2, which will be released for PS3 in Japan later this year. More »

Widely expected, Tales of Xillia 2 was indeed confirmed as the name of the series' next sequel at the Tales of Festival in Japan today. The word comes from producer Hideo Baba himself. More »

#dlc In Japan, one company has embraced the DLC business model more than any other: Bandai-Namco. To anyone who has ever thought a piece of DLC was a bit pricey would be screaming in rage if the Japanese prices for Bandai-Namco DLC were to become the norm. Click through the gallery to see some of the most egregious offenders. (Prices in yen have been converted to dollars.) More »

#tales The Japanese role-playing game Tales of Xillia could be jetting across the ocean at some point in the near future. More »

#speakuponkotaku Back in the day we'd spend countless hours unlocking every hidden character, special costume, or magical weapon in our video games. Today we simply buy them outright. Commenter Superlocke laments this unfortunate evolution in today's Speak Up on Kotaku. More »

Tales of Absorption? Tales of Dissolution? Namco Bandai announced this morning that it plans to absorb the Namco Tales Studio, producers of the company's successful Tales series, on January 1, 2012. No reason was given for the move.

The Tales Studio is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai formed in 1986 as Wolf Team, changing its name in 2003 when Namco became the majority shareholder. It has since been the lead studio of the publisher's flagship RPG series.

It's not like Namco Bandai is planning to get out of the Tales business, since the publisher just raised its financial forecast based on the success of Tales of Xillia.