Certain English phrases are often used to great effect, such as when we think of marketing: “Don’t leave home without it”, or “It melts in your mouth, not in your hands”, and even “Obey your thirst”. These keywords and phrases associate certain products with them when we are exposed to them over and over again, so it is no wonder that in the world of video games, certain keywords and phrases have taken on associated meanings. used video games, and thinking about the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and moving forward to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, there is sure to be a lot of intentional and unintentional “slogan”.
We’re all aware of the success of franchises like Super Mario Brothers and The Legend of Zelda, but what about the others, those games that might go unnoticed if we weren’t here to rescue their epic gameplay and elevate them to that famous ‘classic’? condition? It is with these lesser known video games that we are here to discuss today.
If you have ever thought of the phrase Stories of.. In relation to a video game, what did you think? For me, I imagine a role-playing game (RPG) full of turn-based combat and towns full of ordinary people ready to share information with you. I also think of three games in particular: Tales of Symphonia (Nintendo Gamecube, PlayStation 2), Tales from the Abyss (Playstation 2)Y Tales of Phantasia (Super Famicom, Game Boy Advance, Playstation, PSP). What do these three RPGs have in common? We’ll see:
symphony stories – Like previous games in the Tales series, Tales of Symphonia uses a version of the Linear Motion Battle System, a real-time battle system, as opposed to the turn-based systems used in traditional RPGs. Running through the overworld, battles can be triggered by encountering the monsters that dot the landscape. The Overlimit feature, which is the result of building ‘stress points’, allows characters to take less damage, perform special actions, and cast spells more quickly. ‘Grade’ is replaced with experience and can be used to purchase EX items and gems
As characters level up in Tales of Symphonia, they can learn ‘EX Skills’ which allow them to learn different skills, sometimes combining them for greater effect. Each character can earn up to 25 titles in the game, either by playing at a certain point in the game, leveling up, or fulfilling certain conditions. Different titles will have different effects. Items in the game are the result of spoils from battle, recipes learned from the Wonder Chef (success in cooking is determined by the character’s skill level), and NPCs who upgrade items when given certain items. components.
Along with the cut-scenes in the game, the choices you make will affect the way others think of Lloyd, the main character. Depending on the choices you make, the friendship between the characters can change.
tales from the abyss – Tales of the Abyss is a story about Luke and the value of friendship and sacrifice. As Luke, you start out inside your family’s mansion, an amnesiac brought on by the shock of being kidnapped years ago. Shattering your forgotten memories, a girl named Tear breaks into the castle and you are taken from the safety of your home to places unknown. Luke freely roams his environment finding treasure and ravenous enemies to boot.
The land is filled with particles created from elements including light, dark, air, earth, fire, and water called Fonons, and you can dominate a particular area using attacks that are based on one of six particles. Luke can recharge normal actions into super attacks using moves that require the primary Fonon found within that environment. Luke’s companions Mieu and Jade will join you along the way and complete your party.
Elemental attacks become more powerful by using slots to add special effects like power, damage, and health boosts, and as your characters level up, you have over 80 unlockable attributes that affect Luke and his friends. As you go on your primary quest to uncover Luke’s affiliation with the Order of Lorelei, side stories include cooking to increase attributes and accessorizing with swimwear, fancy clothing, and more. You can travel solo or invite up to three friends to play as characters in Luke’s party.
fantasy tales – Tales of Phantasia, was an RPG originally released for the Super Famicom, and due to its success as a series, it was eventually released in North America. Today, Tales of Phantasia is distinguished by its action-oriented side-scrolling battle sequences (reminiscent of one of Zelda II – Link’s Adventures (NES).
Tales of Phantasia is the story of Cress, a teenager who goes hunting one day and comes across a strange phenomenon and as a result realizes that he must save the past in order to secure the present. Along the way, you’ll be joined by various other characters, learning magic, commanding elementals, taking sides in political fights, and more.
The combat system defies the tradition of most RPGs and is very similar to symphony stories. Rather than turn-based attacks, battles in Tales of Phantasia put you in direct control of Cress. You can perform a variety of strikes using the attack button and control pad, learning other techniques as the game progresses. It is also possible to make chain combinations, like Symphonia. The combat system is an enjoyable turn-based RPG diversion, and the animations and backgrounds are beautiful and have held up well over time on the Game Boy Advance.
Certainly, as video game technology progressed, so did the marketing skills of the companies that make the games. Reading the back of some Sega Master System game boxes one morning on a cereal box, I realized how poorly it was written for some of the games. In the 1990s and 2000s, companies began hiring professional writers and marketers took notice of slogans in video games, which gave us a plethora of ‘Stories of…’ games. The ones I came with are listed here: Tales of Phantasia, Tales of Destiny, Tales of Destiny 2, Tales of Eternia, Tales of Fandom, Tales of Rebirth, Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Legendia, Tales of the Abyss, and Tales of the Tempest. . mmm. It’s starting to not sound like an accident after all. In any case, I will leave it to the reader to judge which elements are similar in the three titles reviewed and which are not. You can also go out and play these three classics, if you have enough time.
