Tales Of Zestiria Will Have Downloadable Skits, Dont Worry These Are Free. January 21, 2015 . 1:02am During a NicoNico live stream, Bandai Namco announced even more downloadable content for Tales of Zestiria. In addition to all of the costumes, there will be additional chat scenes with Sorey and other Tales of Zestiria characters. The good news is these will be free!
The first chat scene will be available on January 22, the same day Tales of Zestiria comes out in Japan. Tales of Zestiria will also have haircuts (front and back styles), attachments, Bride Angel attachments, items that instantly level up your characters, and consumable healing items as DLC content too.
Read more stories about PlayStation 3 & Tales Of Zestiria on Siliconera.
More details due out in the next issue of Tales magazine.
This years Tales of Festival will run between June 6 and 7 at the Yokohama Arena, Bandai Namco announced on its latest Tales of Zestiria Niconico broadcast this morning.
More details on the event will be released in the January 28 issue of Viva Tales of Magazine.
Given that there wont be any upcoming Tales games by the time the event rolls around, its possible well see a new game announcement, be it mainline or spin-off.
Thanks, My Game News Flash.
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source: Siliconera& GematsuPlayStation 3 RPG launches tomorrow in Japan.
Tales of Zestiria for PlayStation 3 isnt due out until tomorrow in Japan, but early buyers have shared the games opening animation online.
The game is due out in North America and Europe later this year.
Watch the video below.
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Thanks, Games Talk.
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PlayStation 3, Bandai Namco, Clips, RPG, Tales, Tales of Zestiria, Trailers
Here’s A Closer Look At The Ocean Resort And Past Tales Costumes In Tales of Zestiria. January 26, 2015 . 4:30pm 
"What's Reflected in Her Eyes" DLC launching February 12.
Update: Bandai Namco just announced that, because it’s the series’ 20th anniversary and because Tales of Zestiria sales have surpassed 400,000, the Alisha downloadable content will be free from February 12 to 28.
Original: Bandai Namco will release a special scenario add-on for Tales of Zestiria on February 12 in Japan for 1,300 yen where Alisha is the protagonist, this week’s issue of Jump magazine reveals.
The add-on, called “Alisha Episode: What’s Reflected in Her Eyes,” is a special after-story featuring Alisha as the main character. Having realized that Hyland Kingdom extremists have secret ties to the Hyouma, Alisha, together with Rose, sets out to get to the bottom of it.
Tales of Zestiria launched for PlayStation 3 last Thursday in Japan. A North American and European release is due out later this year.
Thanks, Hachima Kikou.
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PlayStation 3, Bandai Namco, DLC, RPG, Scans, Tales, Tales of Zestiria
Japanese Gamers On Tales of Zestiria: “Alisha Costs 1,300 Yen”. January 27, 2015 . 11:00am source: Siliconera& Gematsu
Tales of Zestiria released last week in Japan, but it seems as though some Japanese gamers aren’t completely satisfied with the game, and have voiced their opinions via Amazon reviews, where the game currently sits at two stars out of five.
[Spoiler alert: to fully understand why the game is getting such low ratings, you’ll need to know a bit of what happens in the game. If you wish to avoid spoilers, stop reading now.]
Before we continue, it bears mentioning that, as usual, one should take Amazon reviews with a grain of salt as they can vary from one opinion to the next. There are times when they’ve been used as a canvas for trolling—particularly when a change of platforms is involved—and there are also times when they’ve hit upon legitimate concerns that have made game developers take notice. (Such as in the case of Freedom Wars and Oreshika)
While there are many thoughts and opinions on Tales of Zestiria shared by Amazon reviewers, a large number of them pertain to the character Alisha, who has been advertised as a major part of the game. When Tales of Zestiria was first announced, Bandai Namco revealed Sorey as the game’s protagonist alongside Alisha as its heroine. However, as it turns out, in the actual game, Alisha is only playable for a temporary period of time, and to make matters worse, she then leaves the party for good. To make matters worse, Namco have announced a separate DLC episode that you can purchase to see a separate story featuring Alisha (which they will offer for free for a limited time).
It appears there are also issues with how Alisha’s character is handled in terms of writing and the way the other characters in the game interact with her.
One reviewer wrote, “Without a place for her in the country she loves, politicians were annoyed by her. She just wanted company, and was betrayed by the people she trusted. Whenever she had a complaint, the protagonist or other party members didn’t really do anything about it. Did Alisha kill the parents of the developers or something? It seemed like she was ‘bullied,’ both by the party members and the developers, and it was very unpleasant.”
“The main reason has got to be Alisha,” another reviewer wrote. “With the way [Bandai Namco] handled it prior to the release, and with all the DLC [for the entire party], you’d think that she would be playable all the way through, right? I’m not an Alisha fan by any means, but she’s an obedient, polite, and kind girl with a strong sense of responsibility, and solves her own problems. This girl was practically bullied by the group in conversations, and it was beyond unpleasant. Honestly, I just felt a lot of anger from watching that.”
According to many of the reviews, it seems like the game is just fine for the most part until Alisha leaves the party.
One reviewer stated that the first part of the game was centered around the kind and caring protagonist Sorey, and the hardworking heroine Alisha. Exploring the vast world with unique and reliable friends, understanding the relations between humans and the Divine. At least that’s how the story went.
“However, around the part where Alisha leaves, both the scenario and characters, kind of become weird,” one of the reviews reads. “The party members immediately begin discriminating between the difference in talent between Alisha and Rose after the latter barely joins the group. The kindness and part of the protagonist Sorey that was all about helping those in need completely went away, and he practically becomes an NPC character that follows Rose and friends.”
Rose only joins the party later on in the game, but many felt that the game abruptly starts to focus on her as a protagonist, while Sorey is only present to provide support. Meanwhile, the rest of the party constantly has nothing but nice things to say about Rose, but they also seem to have forgotten all about Alisha, who was their ally in the first half of the game.
Other reviewers stated how it was very odd that the party seemed rather indifferent about Alisha’s departure, yet they welcomed Rose with open arms, especially after Rose even admits to being an assassin, and Sorey simply shrugs it off. The inconsistency in how characters are written appears to be a sore point for some players.
Here’s another spoiler: another character in the game, Dezel, gets killed, and many felt that this was unnecessary—especially the way he died. However, what made matters worse about the departure of Alisha and Dezel was how the game still had DLC for the characters. If you buy the DLC for that character in particular without knowing, it’s basically tough luck for you.
Many reviewers stated that the game already felt like it was unfinished with the way Bandai Namco left out Alisha, but upon hearing about her upcoming DLC episode (which costs 1,300 yen to download), players felt as though they’ve been cheated out of buying a complete game from the get-go.
“More like Tales of Rozestiria,” one reviewer sarcastically remarked. Another review, titled “Alisha costs 1,300 yen,” joked: “Hurray!!! I can buy Alisha, who traveled with Sorey and the others, for just 1,300 yen! Go Bandai Namco! You guys are the best!” These are just some of the many quotes from reviewers after Bandai Namco announced the DLC episode.
Besides the issue regarding Alisha, the other frequently mentioned problem was about the game’s awkward camera angles during combat, but that doesn’t seem anywhere near as big of an issue as Alisha and the story.
Read more stories about PlayStation 3 & Tales Of Zestiria on Siliconera.
Tales of Zestiria Producer On The Situation With Alisha. January 30, 2015 . 9:00am
After Bandai Namco announced an upcoming DLC episode for Tales of Zestiria heroine, Alisha, fans were rather upset as they felt that the publisher had held her presence back in the main game so they could release her as content you would need to pay for separately. Producer Hideo Baba shared his thoughts on the matter at the Taipei Game Show, Taiwanese website GNN reports.
In case you haven’t kept up, the gist of the story so far is that Alisha was introduced months ago as the heroine of Tales of Zestiria. Only, early on in the game, she abruptly leaves your party and is replaced by another character. The other party members don’t seem to miss Alisha either, and if you want to see her again, you need to purchase a separate DLC episode that features her in her own story.
After the main event where Bandai Namco presented Tales of Zestiria, interviewers waited for series producer Hideo Baba, and wasted little time in asking him the question that Alisha fans have had on their minds all week. At the event, Baba was immediately met with the following question: “Alisha, whom we all thought would be the heroine from the early stages, leaves the party right away, and you can no longer play as her any more. How did that happen?”
According to GNN’s report, Baba smiled wryly and responded that this is the question fans have been asking him these past few days.
“We announced characters in the order that they appear in the game, so we, at Bandai Namco, never decided on who the [main] heroine is, and left it up to fans to decide for themselves,” he stated.
Following the announcement of the “Alisha After Episode” DLC, Bandai Namco tweeted that it will be available for free from February 12th—28th, in celebration of the series’ 20th anniversary and to celebrate the game having shipped over 400,000 copies in Japan thus far.
Photograph and report courtesy gnn.gamer.com, via Hachima Kiko
Read more stories about PlayStation 3 & Tales Of Zestiria on Siliconera.
Tales of Zestiria Could Go On To Do Rather Well Says Media Create. January 30, 2015 . 1:02pm source: Siliconera
Bandai Namco released Tales of Zestiria in Japan last week, and the game sold 340,891 copies in its first week on store shelves. Japanese sales tracker Media Create reports that Zestiria managed to sell through 89.52% of its initial shipment in its first week.
In comparison, 2011’s Tales of Xillia sold 525,605 copies in its first week, selling through 87.12% of its shipment. Meanwhile, Tales of Xillia 2, released in 2012, sold 364,439 copies in its first week, and sold through 78.09% of its shipment.
Media Create says that Tales of Zestiria released during the university entrance exam season in Japan, and so there are likely those that refrained from purchasing it in its first week. (Meaning that some of these people could buy in its second and third weeks, giving it stronger legs.)
This coupled with the fact that Zestiria has a higher sell-through percentage than both Xillia and Xillia 2 could mean that the game will end doing up as well as the latter title (over 450,000 copies), the tracking company says.
[Note: Media Create presumably do not expect Zestiria to sell as much as the original Xillia due to that game having been given a larger push as a 15th anniversary title, and having released earlier on in the PS3’s lifecycle.]
It should be interesting to see Tales of Zestiria performs in the weeks ahead.
Read more stories about PlayStation 3 & Tales Of Zestiria & This Week In Sales on Siliconera.
Tales of Zestiria’s Alisha DLC Can Be Played Without Beating The Game. February 3, 2015 . 11:32am source: Siliconera
Bandai Namco have been taking plenty of heat from fans for their upcoming Tales of Zestiria DLC that features one of the heroines of the game. This week’s issue of Famitsu magazine shares more details on what to expect from the DLC. [Thanks, Game Jouhou.]
[Spoiler alert: those of you that want to play the game without knowing what happens ahead of time might want to stop reading this post now.]
To bring you up to speed on what the fuss is about regarding Alisha’s upcoming “Alisha After Episode DLC,” fans were rather upset about the fact that Alisha, one of Zestiria’s characters that many thought would be one of the main heroines and was marketed as such, abruptly leaves the party early on in the game and never returns.
Many fans kept playing in hopes that she’d return, but she never does, and it only took a week after its release for Bandai Namco to announce that her “after story” will be part of a 1,300 yen DLC episode that releases later this month. While it will be free for the first couple of weeks, many felt that the publisher had held her presence back in the main game so they could release her as content you’d need to pay for separately.
Interestingly, according to this week’s issue of Famitsu magazine, the “Alisha After Epsiode” can be played without completing the game; however, the party level will be adjusted accordingly. The episode is said to take place several months after Sorey gives a certain “answer,” which we can assume is a pivotal part of the story. In the DLC, Alisha stars alongside Rose, the character that replaces her in the main game, who saves her while she’s being attacked by radicals.
Alisha is more than happy to reunite with her friend, but for some reason, Rose acts cold, and doesn’t explain why; however, the radicals seem to have some sort of involvement with the Hyoma, so they work together toward a common cause.
Again, producer Hideo Baba reiterated his previous statement from a recent interview “We’ve never stated that Alisha is [the main] heroine. The [main] heroine is someone the player gets to decide. But I do apologize for the misunderstanding,” he said.
The “Alisha After Episode” will release in Japan on February 12, 2015 and will be free up until the 28th. Afterwards, it will cost 1,300 yen for the DLC.
Read more stories about PlayStation 3 & Tales Of Zestiria on Siliconera.
Alicia and Rose set out on a new journey.Bandai Namco has released the debut trailer for Tales of Zestirias upcoming Alisha After Episode downloadable content, which will be available free between February 12 and 28 (or for 1,300 yen thereafter).
The after story features Alisha as the main character. Having realized that Hyland Kingdom extremists have secret ties to the Hyouma, Alisha, together with Rose, sets out to get to the bottom of it.
If you own the Japanese version of Tales of Zestiria, you can queue up the Alicia content here.
Watch the trailer below.
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PlayStation 3, Bandai Namco, Clips, DLC, RPG, Tales, Tales of Zestiria, Trailers
source: GematsuPlayStation 3 RPG getting added PC port?
Tales of Zestiria, Bandai Namco’s 20th anniversary Tales game due out for PlayStation 3 in North America and Europe later this year (it launched in Japan last month), has popped up on the Steam database.
It appeared on the database under its title, “Tales of Zestiria,” but has since changed to “TOZ,” but Google Cache managed to catch its original state.
This would appear to be the start of a new trend for Bandai Namco. Late last year, the company announced the western version of One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, which is exclusive to PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and PlayStation 3 in Japan, would come west with an added PC version.
Thanks, NeoGAF.
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PC, PlayStation 3, Bandai Namco, RPG, Tales, Tales of Zestiria
Featured Comment
Zero Mod • an hour ago
Let's stay on topic please. Let's not try and turn this into a PC or Console "fanboy" discussion.
That goes against our community guidelines. http://gematsu.com/commenting-...
I'm tired of these articles derailing like that. You have been warned.
Collection due out next week, according to Amazon Germany.
Bandai Namco is planning the release of a Tales of Graces F / Tales of Symphonia Chronicles Compilation in Europe, according to an Amazon Germany listing.
As the title indicates, the compilation includes Tales of Graces F and Tales of Symphonia Chronicles, with the latter made up of Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World.
The compilation is listed for release next Friday, March 27 at 19.99.
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PlayStation 3, Bandai Namco, Leaks, RPG, Tales, Tales of Graces F, Tales of Symphonia Chronicles
source: GematsuCelebrate the series' 20th anniversary with 'The Legend of Tales' video.
Bandai Namco has released a new video celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Tales of series that runs through every mainline game released up until now.
A 20th anniversary year wouldn’t mean much without the release of a new game, and that new game is Tales of Zestiria, which is coming to North America and Europe later this year. (It is already available in Japan.)
In a news release, Bandai Namco also teased the following bit: “An anniversary won’t be complete without massive surprises… Stay tuned for amazing news over the upcoming months!”
Perhaps that Steam version is one of them?
Watch the video below.
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Industry, PlayStation 3, Clips, RPG, Tales, Tales of Zestiria, Teasers, Trailers
Also withNew trailer tells the Tale of the Shepherd.
Tales of Zestiria will launch for PlayStation 3 in North America and Europe this fall, Bandai Namco announced.
The RPG will have English and Japanese voice options, as well as English, French, and Spanish subtitle options.
Here’s the official fact sheet:Engage Your Passion and Fight to Save the World!Watch a new trailer below.
A brand new adventure awaits in a fantasy world fi lled with magic, knights, dragons and mystery in Tales of Zestiria. Two nations fight for supremacy and the fate of the realm lies in the hands of Sorey, an inquisitive young adventurer who takes on the burden of becoming the Shepherd, the one the legends foretold would become the savior of all. Together with Lailah, the Lady of the Lake, who guards the Sacred Blade, and his best friend Mikleo, Sorey soon discovers a powerful force rising in the shadows.
Features
- A Whole New World – Explore a medieval fantasy world with cues taken from classic literature and wide and expansive environments.
- Instant Aggression – Seamless transitions from exploration to the trademark Tales of real-time battle system skirmishes.
- Fusion Battle System – Strategically fuse two characters together in battle into a more powerful form to achieve victory against vicious enemies.
- The Echoes of Lore – Follow the exploits of Sorey on his mission as the Shepherd told through real-time and animated cut-scenes with the original Japanese voice overs or newly added English voices.
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View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.
visit gallery »
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PlayStation 3, Bandai Namco, Clips, RPG, Screenshots, Tales, Tales of Zestiria, Trailers
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Western gamers won’t have to wait a year to play Tales of Zestiria. The PlayStation 3 game came out in Japan this past January and it is scheduled to come out in America this fall.
Bandai Namco Entertainment announced the English localized version will have an option to choose either English or Japanese voiceovers, a first for the series. The game will have English, French, and Spanish text options.
We asked a representative from Bandai Namco about the Alisha downloadable content debacle. As you may recall, Alisha, one of the female characters in Tales of Zestiria shows up in the beginning of the game and then leaves the party. Alisha’s storyline is sold separately as downloadable content in Japan for 1,300 yen. Bandai Namco Entertainment’s representative said they are aware of the issue and are still evaluating how to handle Alisha in the West. A decision has not been made if Alisha’s story will or will not be included with the Western release.
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source: Gematsu& Siliconera
Sorey, Mikelo, and Alisha are pictured below.
Read more stories about PlayStation 3 & Tales Of Zestiria on Siliconera.
source: GematsuRPG currently confirmed for PS3 release this fall.
Dutch retailer Nedgame has listed Tales of Zestiria for PlayStation 4 in addition to the already announced PlayStation 3 version.
While not announced, the game has been speculated to receive a PlayStation 4 port due to the timing of its release, as well as a PC version via Steam.
Nedgame ties a September 25 date to the title. Bandai Namco previously confirmed a fall release for PlayStation 3. Fall begins on September 23. Since games release on Fridays in Europe, this would be the first possible release date for the game.
With potential retailer leaks, it’s always worth browsing the website’s for other “weird” listings. The more absurd the listing you find, the less likely the potential leak. We couldn’t find much:
Thanks, Tokkurin.
- Assassin’s Creed Victory – This game was leaked last year, but is still not officially announced. There’s an October 30 release date attached, which lines up with the yearly Assassin’s Creed game release time.
- Tekken 7 – This game is listed for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. While Bandai Namco hasn’t officially confirmed platforms yet, the game will likely be released on the former two. The latter two, however, are impossible given the game’s use of Unreal Engine 4, which is not supported by PS3 or Xbox 360. There’s also a November 15, 2015 release date.
- The Witness – Nedgame isn’t the only retailer (Amazon UK, for example) to list The Witness as a retail title, but we thought it was worth mentioning given they tie a September 30 release date to it.
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PlayStation 4, Bandai Namco, RPG, Rumors, Tales, Tales of Zestiria
PlayStation 3He's probably talking about Tales of Zestiria.
Tales series producer Hideo Baba shared an interesting comment during the Tales of Zestiria: Dawn of the Shepherd anime special screening at Machi Asobi Vol. 14 in Tokushima yesterday.
“I’m sorry to have caused worry concerning the Tales of series,” Baba said at the start of the talk show. “I would like to talk about it again another time.”
We’re not sure what he’s talking about specifically, but can guess he’s referring to how a specific stretch of Tales of Zestiria was received upon release that Japanese fans didn’t take to well. Next month’s Tales of Festival might be the proper venue to “talk about it again.” (And possibly that rumored PlayStation 4 version.)
Famitsu notes that Baba feels the pressure of the series’ 20th anniversary yet again, and wants to continue working hard in the future.
Thanks, Famitsu.
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PlayStation 3, Hideo Baba, RPG, Tales, Tales of Zestiria
source: Gematsu& Siliconera
Bandai Namco took some heat earlier this year when they released Tales of Zestiria. fans of the series weren’t too happy to find out that one of the game’s main heroines didn’t have as extensive a role as Namco had advertised, and that she was instead reserved to be released later as a DLC add-on.
To make matters worse, Bandai Namco released the DLC story that centered around Alisha for 1,300 yen , shortly after the game released, which lent credence to the assumption that Bandai Namco had planned to remove her from the game for add-on content all along. You can read more about this in our earlier report.
At the time, Tales series producer Hideo Baba defended the decision, claiming that Namco had never explicitly stated that Alisha, the character in question, was going to be one of Tales of Zestiria’s main protagonists, even though the company actually had referred to her as the heroine and then removed references to this fact. More recently, however, Baba directed an apology at Tales fans.
During a talk show featuring anime studio ufotable to talk about the Tales of Zestiria anime, Baba felt the need to get something off his chest before proceeding with the event.
“It’s about the Tales of series, but I want to deeply apologize for making you all worry,” Baba said to the fans in attendance. “And I’d like to talk about it again sometime.”
While he didn’t specify just what he was apologizing for, making the Alisha connection isn’t difficult, given the events that have brought us to this point.
Recently, there have been rumors surrounding a possible Tales of Zestiria port for PlayStation 4. If this ends up being true, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Alisha issue brought up again.
Read more stories about PlayStation 3 & PlayStation 4 & Tales Of Zestiria on Siliconera.
source: GematsuBandai Namco Entertainment Asia teases on Twitter.
Tales of Zestiria is coming to PlayStation 4. At least, that’s what listings from retailers like Best Buy and Nedgame have told us. But Bandai Namco has yet to officially comment. Until today, sort of.
In a Facebook update (the link might not work for your IP; thanks, raven777), Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia posted the following message:
The post links to our Tales of Festival date article. The annual Tales of fan expo runs from June 6 to 7 this year. Judging by Bandai Namco Asia’s tease, we’ll hear about the PlayStation 4 version there. And series producer Hideo Baba will probably talk more about that subject the ‘caused fans to worry.’
Officially, we know that Tales of Zestiria will launch for PlayStation 3 this fall.
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PlayStation 4, Bandai Namco, RPG, Rumors, Tales, Tales of Festival 2015, Tales of Zestiria, Teasers
source: Siliconera
Notice: for those of you that wish to play Tales of Zestiria without knowing what happens, we recommended skipping this article to avoid spoilers.
Since Tales of Zestiria was released in Japan earlier this year, there’s been a lot of talk about the game, and not all of it has been positive. While dedicated fans have debated various aspects of the game (such as its wonky camera controls), the standout issue has been the way that Bandai Namco handled one of Zestiria’s leading female characters.
Skip this bit if you’re familiar with this story: Alisha, one of the characters in Tales of Zestiria, was initially advertised by Bandai Namco as the game’s heroine. Once the game was actually released, it quickly came to light that Alisha leaves your party early in the game and is unavailable for the remainder unless you buy a DLC add-on package that features her in her own story. Worse yet, Alisha’s exit from the party is unceremonious and abrupt, with the rest of the group barely reacting to her departure.
Disappointed Tales fans will tell you that it isn’t just the fact that Alisha left, but rather the manner that she left in. That she was very obviously meant to be the game’s heroine and is one of the earliest characters to join your group, but is abruptly removed from the party for no justifiable reason. She doesn’t die, she isn’t just injured in the line of duty. She just… leaves. Then there’s the fact that her replacement—a character that is introduced several hours into the game—is somehow more important and valuable to the party in the grand scheme of things.
Fans say that this draws attention to Tales of Zestiria’s weak writing, and the fact that Alisha can be seen accessed separately if you purchase her DLC package reeks of content that should have been in the game being cut from it. Now, fans make the “cut content” argument a lot—but in this case, it actually holds water, and prompted Tales series producer Hideo Baba to issue an apology for making his fans uneasy. Now, speaking with Famitsu, Baba has decided to discuss the subject more openly. You can find the relevant quotes below.
***
Famitsu: About the issue with the “heroine” this time, we believe that there are three main points that have caused the trouble. There’s been information out there that makes Alisha seem like the main heroine. She leaves the party in the middle of the story, and there are DLC costumes for her despite the fact that she isn’t around as much. After hearing about this, we still played the game, wrote our impressions, and thoroughly enjoyed the title; however, we still feel it was an unfortunate incident. Honestly, we wouldn’t blame those that were attracted to Alisha due to the information sent out prior to the release, or through the DLC, and thought “huh?!” for better or worse, after finding out what happened.
Baba: We understand what you mean. Allow me to explain a little more about the information revealed prior to the release of the game. From the very first piece of information until now since the game has been released, we never mentioned that Alisha was the “heroine” to you folks at Famitsu or other media in any of the documents we’ve provided.
Again, the story was constructed while keeping Alisha’s departure in mind, so we examined her costumes over and over again with the development team, so that Alisha’s DLC costumes could be worn by Rose. However, since we wanted to avoid possible spoilers about their costume compatibilities, we did not reveal that information prior to the availability of the DLC.
Famitsu: We, too, agree that the documents your company have sent us never explicitly stated that Alisha as the “heroine” of the game. On the other hand, in Tales of Asteria, the official profile for Alisha states “heroine,” and parts of articles by the media also introduces her as the heroine, so it appears that there was indeed some kind of unfortunate misunderstanding of information out there.
Baba: Yes. Some of the media out there presented something different than the what was in the document that we provided. Again, about the official profile seen in Tales of Asteria, that’s something we are completely responsible for. The development team for it is different from that of Tales of Zesteria’s, and we’re deeply remorseful about the fact that incorrect information was conveyed, and has caused confusion among our fans. The Zestiria team that worked days and months throughout the past three years were truly heartbroken by all of this.”
Famitsu: Allow us to share a bit of our opinion, but perhaps if Alisha’s departure was announced without any spoilers ahead of time, it would’ve been easier to understand the heroine and DLC situation. Additionally, about two weeks after the release of the game, the Alisha After Episode DLC was revealed, and we received a comment from you for our magazine, which stated that you felt that Alisha’s “feelings” could have been better represented in the game.
Baba: If I could use this opportunity to talk a little more about Alisha’s situation… In the story, she had two important roles. The first being her role to invite Sorey to the outside world. The other is her agony in being at the lowest seat for succeeding the throne, and the conflict Sorey faces about whether he can make his dream come true when he can’t even help a single girl. And realizing that the “company” he wanted wouldn’t be a possibility. However, these detailed psychological nuances were not exactly conveyed in the game.
Famitsu: Without question, some things are better communicated visually, but for things that aren’t as clear, players can use their imagination. In Alisha’s case, it seemed like there was a bit of both.
Baba: Alisha doesn’t stay in the party for as long as other members, but as far as story goes, the role she plays is definitely an important one. As a result of Sorey meeting Alisha early in the story, he finds out about the world outside of Izuchi (Sorey’s hometown). Even after becoming a Shepherd, Alisha becomes a partner for changing the world for the better; however, this leads to her role in Sorey knowing about his “failure”.
With the power of being able to take out large enemy armies, he can’t do anything about politics or the feeling of people. To top it off, even with the power of a Shepherd, he can’t help a one human, Alisha, see the Seraphim, and as a result of repeatedly trying, it took a toll on his body.
***
Baba’s answer isn’t entirely satisfactory, of course. For starters, he doesn’t address the manner in which Alisha is removed from the party. Then there’s the fact that Bandai Namco had to be aware of how fans perceived Alisha’s role in the story prior to Tales of Zestiria’s release, and if they weren’t, they probably weren’t looking in the right places. There’s a lot that’s being left unsaid, but unfortunately, it appears that this the best those that are seeking answers will get, for now.
Tales of Zestiria will release in the West in Fall 2015 for PlayStation 3. Meanwhile, there are rumours of Namco porting the game to the PlayStation 4 as well.
Read more stories about PlayStation 3 & Tales Of Zestiria on Siliconera.
Thus begins Bandai Namco's new title game.
Bandai Namco has filed three new Tales of series-related trademarks in Japan.
Bandai Namco has a habit of trademarking a number of different Tales names before the announcement of a new game. Before Tales of Zestiria was announced, the company filed for 11 different trademarks. Two of them ended up being mobile games, while the others went unused.
- “Tales of Berseria” (2015-38505)
- “Tales of Orfellia” (2015-38506)
- “Tales of Alestia” (2015-38507)
It’s rumored Bandai Namco will announce a PlayStation 4 version of Tales of Zestiria at Tales of Festival on June 6 and 7, but perhaps we’ll get a glimpse at the next game, too?
Thanks, Tokkurin.
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Industry, Bandai Namco, Japan, RPG, Tales, Trademarks
source: Gematsu& SiliconeraBandai Namco have filed trademarks for three items related to the Tales series with Tales of Berseria, Tales of Orfellia, and Tales of Alestia. [Thanks, Hachima]
Of course, one can never be certain just what these trademarks are for. Keep in mind that these could be trademarks for reserving names that never end up being used, for smartphone or social games, or even a name for a new title in the main series that pans out.
Bandai Namco filed their Tales of Zestiria trademark a couple years ago. They also trademarked a whole bunch of other names back in 2013.
Read more stories about Bandai Namco & Tales of Alestia & Tales of Berseria & Tales of Orfellia on Siliconera.
Ufotable producing 2016-due animation.
Bandai Namco and animation studio Ufotable announced plans to produce a Tales of 20th Anniversary TV anime due out in 2016 at the Tales of Festival in Yokohama.
The TV anime appears to be an adaptation of Tales of Zestiria, which is due out for PlayStation 3 later this year. The text in the key visual and trailer reads, The journey of the Shepherd transcends Zestiria.
Watch the teaser below.
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Visit the official website here.
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Anime, Bandai Namco, RPG, Tales, Tales of Festival 2015, Tales of Zestiria
The Tales Of Series Is Collaborating With Hello Kitty. June 8, 2015 . 1:15am 
Bandai Namco hosted their annual event with the Tales of Festival 2015 this weekend, where they announced the latest title, Tales of Berseria. They also had a few bonus announcements during the event, too. [Thanks, Game Jouhou.]
During the event, they showcased the above image of Milla Maxwell as part of a Hello Kitty collaboration. They’ll reveal more Tales characters and Hello Kitty collaboration images, and will also sell them as part of goodies at the Tales of 20th Anniversary Exhibit –Tales of Museum- from August 7th through 23rd.
Additionally, the smartphone title, Tales of Asteria, will collaborate with the God Eater anime, and will feature the three characters of Lindow, Alisa, and Soma in the game.
Read more stories about PlayStation 3 & PlayStation 4 & Tales Of Zestiria on Siliconera.
PlayStation 4, PCsource: Gematsu& SiliconeraMid-October release dates also listed.
Bandai Namco Singapore’s mobile website was updated briefly this morning with PlayStation 4 and PC listings for Tales of Zestiria.
The PlayStation 4 version was listed for an October 16 release, while the PC version was listed for October 20. Both listings have since been removed.
A PlayStation 4 release has been long-rumored. And a PC version was previously suggested by the game’s appearance in the Steam database.
With the Tales of Festival having come and gone without the port announcement (but we did get an entirely new game), we expect our next chance to hear about the new versions will be at E3 next week, or Anime Expo in July.
Thanks, @Wario64 and NeoGAF.
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PC, PlayStation 4, Bandai Namco, Leaks, RPG, Tales, Tales of Zestiria
Also withNumber of people surprised: zero.
Bandai Namco has officially announced that Tales of Zestiria is coming to PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam in addition to the previously announced PlayStation 3 version. The game will launch for PlayStation consoles on October 16 across Europe, the Middle-East, and Australasia; via Steam in the Americas and Europe and for PlayStation consoles in North America on October 20; and in Brazil on October 23.
The Tales of series continues to connect with RPG fans searching for a pure Japanese role-playing experience, Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe vice president of marketing and digital Herve Hoerdt said in a press release. With the high adoption rate of the current generation of consoles and continued popularity of the PC platform, we are more than excited to be able to port Tales of Zestiria to the PlayStation 4 system and Steam exclusively for Western fans across the Americas and Europe. Players will now be able to choose which platform they want to experience the Tales of Zestiria adventure on!About Tales of ZestiriaWatch a new trailer below.
An unseen evil force known as Malevolence is spreading across the land, corrupting the world and causing humanity to falter. Players will embark on an epic journey as Sorey, a young pure-hearted adventurer whose destiny is to become The Shepard, an individual of great power that can banish Malevolence. Does Sorey have the courage and heart to wield this extraordinary responsibility for good, or will he fall prey to the evils of its power?
Tales of Zestiria introduces a new version of its celebrated real-time battle system, allowing for faster combat with side dashes and new combo opportunities with the fusion techniques. Throughout his quest, Sorey will befriend humans and spirits known as Seraphim, unseen to most humans, to aide him on his journey. Because of Soreys unique ability to communicate with the Seraphim he is able to fuse with their essence to create new elemental artes for strategic attacks to decimate foes.
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View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.
visit gallery »
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PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Bandai Namco, Clips, E3 2015, RPG, Screenshots, Tales, Tales of Zestiria, Trailers
Tales of Zestiria is coming to PC via Steam on October 20th, and the games Steam page lists its system requirements.
Since were still a few months from release, theres a chance these may not be the finalized requirements, but for now theyre all we have to go on. Check them out:
MINIMUM:
- OS: Windows Vista 32/64
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4Ghz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+, 2.6GHz
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 8800GT / ATI Radeon HD 4830
- DirectX: Version 9.0
- Hard Drive: 12 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Gamepad support
RECOMMENDED:
- OS: Windows 7 (x64) / Windows 8 (x64)
- Processor: Intel Core i3-530, 2.93 GHz / AMD Phenom II X4 940, 3.0GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti / AMD Radeon HD 7850
- DirectX: Version 9.0
- Hard Drive: 12 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Gamepad support
Well keep an eye on the PC version of Tales of Zestiria and share updates should new information regarding the PC port surface within the next few months.
Read more stories about PC & Tales Of Zestiria on Siliconera.
