Tales of Graces f

When one thinks of a Japanese video game company, usually Square Enix or Capcom come to mind. There have been many complaints over how Capcom has handled on-disc DLC in recent years as well as doing the stereotypical Capcom move of re-releasing the exact same game with some minor new features 1 year later, although that move has been corrected a bit thanks to DLC. Capcom has also garnered criticism for just plain refusing to localize some games and cancelling production on games like Megaman Legends 3 and Megaman Universe, causing Keiji Inafune to leave the company that he helped bring out of the coin-op business.

Square Enix has also received criticism for constantly remaking and porting the first two Final Fantasy games to the point that it is impossible to own an electronic device that cannot play the original Final Fantasy. SE also has a tendency to remake and port Final Fantasy IV too much, as well as the very concept of Compilation of Final Fantasy VII insults some people who think SE is cashing in on Final Fantasy VII by making prequels, sequels, and even midquels, while ignoring fans' requests for a full console remake of the original game, which would mostly satisfy American fans who received a very poor localization, needing to read online to clarify plot points that are clearly expressed in Japanese. Recently, there have accusations that SE only cares what its Japanese fans think, since Final Fantasy XIII had a mixed reception outside Japan, but received a perfect score from Famitsu and a generally excellent reception in Japan overall, enough to warrant a sequel which has received much better reception outside Japan. The incident with the Final Fantasy XIV launch has also highlighted a rarity in Japanese corporations, an executive apologizing for an inferior product; Capcom never apologized for making Devil May Cry 2.

So why do I bring up Capcom and Square Enix for a game made by Namco Bandai? I just wanted you to know that as terrible as Capcom and Square Enix can treat their American fans, Namco is probably the most infamous at ignoring their American fan base.

Tales of Graces originally came out for the Wii on December 9, 2009. It was well-received enough to garner a PS3 port/remake almost exactly one year later. But wait, that was nearly 2 years ago! Yes, Namco is so bad at localizing games, it took them a year and a half to send the game over to American shores. In the mean time, Namco Bandai has plans for a sequel to a game that hasn't even come out here yet, Tales of Xillia.

Gameplay-wise, the wait was totally worth it, because Tales of Graces f is by far the best Tales game as far as gameplay comes. As far as the nearly 2 year wait for localization? There is quite the stellar cast arranged for the game, albeit mostly actors who dub anime, they are all great in concept. Unfortunately, Graces suffers from a poorly written script that managed to make D.C. Douglas have a weak performance as the president of an entire country because he spends so much time churning out lines no human would ever say. The plot itself is rather predictable, partially due to characters constantly foreshadowing events. Namco did not appear to understand dramatic pacing with this game, because Tales of Symphonia did have quite a few plot twists that can't be predicted when first playing.

So should you play this latest Tales game to reach American shores? If you have something against the linear nature of JRPGs, you could probably skip this game since it doesn't offer anything revolutionary. If you enjoy JRPGs and like me, have been disappointed in them in recent years, Graces fits nicely into an JRPG library despite its flaws.

Story: 6/10

Gameplay: 10/10

Presentation: 7/10

Replay Value: 7/10

Average Score: 7.5/10

The game has its obvious flaws, mostly the story and how outdated the graphics are along with a subpar soundtrack, but the game is still worth playing more than once because the game is just plain fun. If you can ignore the serious problems the plot has, especially the opening prologue which is far too long, you'll enjoy Tales of Graces f.