A solid new Tales RPG for a next generation console
Gameplay: 9/10
If you've played Tales of Symphonia or Abyss, then you'll know what to expect from Vesperia. The battle system builds off of Abyss's, adding new things such as free run attacks, Fatal Strikes, and a four-level Overlimit system. Fatal Strikes can be initiated when an enemy receives enough fatigue in one of three areas (up, down, or side), and will instantly kill the enemy while also boosting your character stats. These add balance to the game, especially at higher difficulties, when it would normally take a long time to kill stronger enemies. The Overlimit system has been changed so that the entire party shares a single meter, but the meter can be charged up to different levels, each of which have different effects.
Also new to the system are Burst Artes, which are very similar to Mystic Artes, but are weaker and can be used multiple times during Overlimit. The FoF system from Abyss has left, but in its place are certain skills that will change some artes.
Besides these changes, the battle system is pretty much the same as before. Playing with friends in multiplayer is still a blast, although the enemy AI tends to target player 1 the most, which can be annoying.
The rest of the game outside of battle is also the standard fare: You run around in dungeons finding chests and solving rather trivial puzzles while advancing the plot.
Story: 8.5/10
There's not much that really separates this game from the average RPG, but the story has fewer flaws than usual Tales games. The only time I really cringed at the plot was during Emhead Hill (the area in the demo of the game), so don't let that influence your opinion of the plot too much. The pacing is very good, as I never felt like the game was moving too quickly or slowly. The plot is also more mature than earlier Tales titles, not having some of the more superficial moral "dilemmas" of earlier games. Overall, the plot is entertaining and will keep you interested in continuing the game.
The characters are definitely an improvement over earlier games. Yuri is an extremely likable character and displays a wit and sarcasm that previous main characters haven't. He's also not afraid of getting his hands dirty, which is a sharp contrast to the main characters of Symphonia and Abyss who played the righteous heroes in their respective games. The rest of the cast is for the most part good, and the behave intelligently and realistically throughout the story.
Graphics: 8.5/10
Tales of Vesperia has some of the smoothest and cleanest graphics of this generation. The cel-shading is very crisp and clean, and some parts feel just like an anime. The frame rate keeps up most of the time, but on a couple occasions, I've seen the frame rate drop due to too much action in battle. The serifed font was a little awkward at first, but I became used to it after the first few hours.
Tales of Vesperia is great game for anyone who is interested in RPGs. It does not do much to innovate, but it takes previous ideas and weaves them into a balanced, solid title.