Tales of Graces f
SCORE: 67
Namco Bandai has a well known role playing
game franchise in the form of the Tales games. The most recent release
for the Playstation 3 is Tales of Graces f. Different gamers have
different tastes. I find myself enjoying many of the quirks in Tales of
Graces f. I also enjoy the depth of the characters, and how the
storyline unravels.
Tales of Graces f starts us out with children who are between eleven and
fourteen. The irony to me is the main character at that point is not
even old enough to play this game, since it is for those thirteen years
old and older according to the ESRB. They fast forward seven years after
a certain event is reached in this PS3 game.
A few of the female characters in Tales of Graces f could be dressed
better. Thankfully they are few and far between. Cheria has a very short
skirt and she likes to bend over from time to time. Thankfully the
camera angle is generally on the side. The art style looks better than
most cel shaded games, and I appreciated that. There is violence in
Tales of Graces f. The battles consist of the player using weapons to
drain away the enemies health. Artes can also be used - these are a
mixture of skills and what would be magic in other games.
One of the down sides of Tales of Graces f is the language. There are
some bad words scattered throughout the game. What I liked about Tales
of Graces f is how we could go hours without hearing a bad word. And
then there is the music. The music in Tales of Graces f is very
inspiring. I can recognize raw talent in the musical score.
It can take forty hours to beat Tales of Graces f. There are various sub
quests, item creation, cooking, and more that can be unearthed. Once you
beat the game, then there is ten more hours of an epilogue. This is a
neat extra that Namco Bandai put in. There are hundreds of items,
skills, and levels for the player to discover. Four family members can
play Tales of Graces f at the same time. This may seem weird for a role
playing game, but they can help out in the hack and slash battles.
I found Tales of Graces f very easy to follow. I knew exactly where to
go next at every single turn. This PS3 game will not let you go other
directions when the story requires you to go a certain way. I like this
because it means I always know I am going the right direction. There is
some quirky humor in Tales of Graces f as well. After battles sometimes
the characters will have short conversations. These are almost always
funny.
The childhood portion of Tales of Graces f had me thinking about how
disobedient Asbel was. He was a horrible child to his family and
friends. He was clueless about those who loved him. He grew up in Tales
of Graces f slowly. He learns to do what is best for others. He becomes
a real servant leader. He is bold enough to stand up against those doing
evil.
The back of Tales of Graces f has: "Bonds of Friendship are Eternal."
While this is a theme of Tales of Graces f, I feel it is so much more.
It is a game of discovery. We discover a fantasy world that has deep
secrets. Characters in this PS3 game are very human. They make mistakes,
they worry about others, they help out, and so much more. Namco Bandai
has found a way to put wonderful writing into a very deep game. I would
love to see sequels to this game. It would be wonderful if some of the
ESRB negative descriptors could be left on the drawing room floor.
- Paul
Graphics: 59%
Sound: 63%
Replay/Extras: 84%
Gameplay: 68%
Family Friendly Factor: 60%
System: Playstation 3
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Rating: ‘T’ - Teen
{Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes}
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