Lord Spencer's Gaming (and other stuff) Blog

Being the third game in the series, but only the second game released in the West after Tales of Destiny , this game was mistakingly branded with the Tales of Destiny II moniker to attract fans of the first PS1 Tales game. This decision would come to bite Namco later when they released the actual sequel to Tales of Destiny on the PS2, which they just called Tales of Destiny 2 , using Arabic instead of Roman numerals. This brief history lesson is just a preamble to the actual review and an explanation as to why I am just going to call the game Tales of Eternia of ToE from now on. One thing the original localization title made clear is that this game is a sequel to the first, and sequels, especially in the video game space, do not only mean a continuation of a story. Indeed, more often than not, sequels constitute an evolution in mechanics and presentation, which is what Tales of Eternia clearly demonstrates. Here, we see the Tales series maturing in style and mechanics to the trea...

The Tales JRPG series is nowadays synonymous with comfort food; a satisfying meal that is neither complex nor memorable. Full to the brim with anime archetypes and genre cliches, it is honestly difficult to pick the different games apart. It is then hard to imagine a time when the very things the series is known for were actually incredible innovations to the genre. The unabashed anime-ness of the series was established in the first game on the SNES, where an Anime cut scene and vocal track inexplicably fit into the cartridge. With the second game, Tales of Destiny , the series established much of its traditions and firmly entrenched itself into becoming an anime-videogame, for better or worse. #A40(S): Tales of Destiny:- Year: 1997, 1998. Genre: Action RPG. Publisher: Namco. Developer: Wolf Team (Namco).

Valkyrie Profile is just the type of game that is typical of the many hidden gems in the PS1 library. Experimental in every way, both trying to expand the genres before it and forge its own path, it ends up becoming an entirely unique game. Not all of those experimental games succeeded, but Valkyrie Profile pulls it off extremely well. It's a game with unique and engaging gameplay, brilliant graphics and music, and a pretty good story and characters. Rarely putting a foot wrong, it fully justifies its reputation as a cult-favorite title. #42: Valkyrie Profile:- Year: 1999, 2000. Genre: Action RPG. Publisher: Enix. Developer: Tri-Ace.

Vagrant Story may be one of the most ambitious game made by Square on the PS1, and that's a big thing to say considering Square games were synonymous for ambition since the days of the SNES. That's a major reason why reviewing this game may end being my hardest review to write yet, since I am still unsure if I can do the game justice while looking at it from a modern lens. This is, after all, the game I would consider to be the true inspiration for FromSoftware's Souls games. Yet, despite some truly revolutionary aspects in design, it doesn't mean that the game is free from hiccups that detract from the experience today. #21: Vagrant Story:- Year: 2000. Genre: Action RPG. Publisher: Square. Developer: Square.  

Made by some of the same team that developed the uber-serious Xenogears game, at a time when Square seemed to have a Midas touch, Threads of Fate was made to be a contrasting light-hearted adventure that still makes an impression. At that, the team succeeds while maintaining Square's excellent PS1 track record. Despite a number of minor issues that keep it from being a great game, is a charming and memorable title that could endear itself greatly to the player. It did that for me when I first played it, without completing it, nearly two decades ago, and it endeared itself to me again this time as well. #35: Threads of Fate:- Year: 1999, 2000. Genre: Action RPG. Publisher: Square. Developer: Square.