Project X Zone

Console: Nintendo 3DS

Genre: Tactical RPG

Release Date: June 25th, 2013

Date Reviewed: August 18th, 2013

Gameplay:

Project X Zone is a tactical RPG for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Bandai Namco. The games story is played through chapters. In total there are 42 chapters in the game. After chapter 10 each mission is about and hour or so long. Overall it is a pretty long game especially if you take your time going through it. After you beat he story mode you unlock new game+ which allows you to keep all of your items but the monsters are a lot stronger and you gain exp a lot slower so levelling will be much more difficult. If you want the challenge then go for it. When you start the game you start off with very few characters but after almost every chapter you gain new companies to help you out. Each of your companions have their own move sets you can master to perform powerful combos. In total you get about 50 characters to control. Each of you're companions also get their own solo units as well. Solo units are additional units that you do not control. You call them in to do some extra damage and add on to you're combo. The higher you're combo the more xp you get. Xp is not the term for experience points. In Project X Zone xp is almost like mana. Every time you do some damage this bar gets increased. If you get it to 100% you can use a characters special attack. The xp bar also allows you to use you're companions skills which can increase your stats, or even an increased walking range. Solo units also provide your companions with extra skills which are useful.

Battle Screen.

When you gain a level you get a stat increase like with any RPG. But when you gain levels you also unlock new move sets for your companions. Levelling is a key part of your adventures. You need these to be able to unlock more moves and more attack opportunities. You also learn skills by levelling. During the campaign you also get items and weapons from bosses and treasure chests which can be used to make your characters a lot more powerful by increasing their stats. The four stats that your characters have are HP which increases your health points, attack which increases how much damage you do, defence to take less damage, and tec which launches your enemies higher into the air to perform more combos on your enemies. Overall I really enjoyed the game play of this game. There are a couple of downfalls though. For example most of the levels you do are very repetitive and can be frustrating when you think you are almost done the chapter when out of no where 30 more enemies appear on the screen. This game also needed a lot more customization options, more moves and items to use or even a shop.

Graphics:

The graphics are decent. It is a tactical RPG so the character models are very small and do not have a whole lot of detail on them. What I do like about the graphics is that when each character performs their special attack they each have their own special little animations, some are 3D and some are 2D but overall they are great. The graphics during combat is crazy like with most cross over fighting style games. When you're doing the combos there is so much happening on the screen at one time especially when you call in support units and solo units to do cross over combos to increase your xp bar. There are no cut scenes in the game it is all mainly dialogue. 

Movement Screen.

The 3D on the 3DS is good, not great but good. When the combat sequence begins the 3D can really hurt your eyes due to the fact that there is so much happening on the screen at one time. The 3D while you are moving your units around isn't anything to interesting. The only time you see the 3D effect well is when each of your character do their special attacks. When some of the characters do their specials some of them have 3D models so the 3D works really well with that. 

Audio:

This is one of my favorite parts of this game is the audio. When you buy the game or pre order the game when the first batches come out you will get the limited edition box which includes a poster, art book, and the soundtrack. The soundtrack is the best part of the package because it has all of the music from the game itself. The music in the game is fantastic and goes very well with the game, and battle scenes. The audio overall from the game is crisp, sounds great and works very well with the game. 

Limited Edition Bundle.

Conclusion:

Project X Zone is a really fun and enjoyable game. When you buy the first initial batch of the game you get the limited edition for the same price of $40. This is a fantastic offer because it includes an art book, a poster and the fantastic soundtrack. The gameplay is solid but is a bit repetitive and can drive you nuts a few times due to the fact that some chapters it seems like the enemies never stop appearing. Project X Zone is a fantastic cross over game, has a lot to offer and is an extremely long game. I personally put 49 hours into the game before I actually beat it. f you are a fan of fighting games, tactical RPG's, and cross over games then I highly recommend trying this game out.

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Tales of the Abyss

Console: Nintendo 3DS

Genre: RPG

Release Date: February 14, 2012

Date Reviewed: February 10, 2013

Gameplay:

Tales of the Abyss is a port from the PS2 version. I am very glad they ported it to the 3DS. I played it on the PS2 but it was so long ago and I was so young that I really didn't remember it to well. When I picked it up I knew I was in for a treat. Tales of the Abyss is an open world RPG title for the 3DS. If you have played any of the Tales games in the past then you will know the combat system is basically the same style. The combat system is not turned based but when you get into a battle screen it's a real time hack and slash RPG. You gain experience, level up, get to equipment. The same with any other RPG game. What Tales does very well is the use of strategy. You can control any of your 6 party members during battle. You can level up their skills, pick how they fight whether you want them to focus on healing or spell-casting or even focus on spell-casting until your TP (mana) hits 25%. This brings the combat to life more and great a challenge and avoids the repetitiveness. So overall combat is great!

Fast action combat!

The visuals are great. The 3D in the game doesn't really do anything unfortunately. The cut scenes are well and have also been upgraded to a more sharper picture. The story line is very well done and will get anyone absorbed to it. There are a lot of twists and “WTF” moments in the game which makes it a lot more fun and interesting. The main character of the game is really annoying at the beginning of the game. He's a very spoilt brat who always gets his way. Later on it gets much better and a lot more bearable. The game offers about 20+ hours of game play if you do not rush through it. Another issue I had with the game is when your exploring and walking around the world map it really zoomed out and at some points on the map the frame rates drop drastically making it hard to avoid some enemies. Overall I found Tales of the Abyss to be a very enjoyable game. If you have not ever played Tales of the Abyss I recommend picking it up for the 3DS. If you have played it on the PS2 version or are a tales fan I also recommend picking this up. They did a good job with the port.

Graphics:

The only two problems I have with the visuals in the game are the random frame drops in certain areas of the world map and there is no 3D in the game. You turn it on and it looks the exact same. This is very unfortunate because I think for the cutscenes the visuals will look so much more better. The port from the PS2 to the 3DS was a good port overall. No dumbed down graphics or quality overall. The game plays the same as the PS2 version and is a very enjoyable experience. I recommend not rushing through the cut scenes and skipping them just to beat the game faster. Take your time and watch the cut scenes they are very well done, well animated and will absorb you as you unfold this epic story. The battle scenes are fast paced, look very well and has no frame drops that I have noticed.

Beautiful cut scenes.

One of my favorite things to do during the battle encounters are using every party members special attack when they are available. They look so cool, bright, flashy and colorful. I also really liked the look of all of the spells visuals and skills. They all looked unique and suits the name of the skills. Overall Tales of the Abyss is a beautiful and colorful game for the 3DS.

Audio:

The soundtrack for Tales of the Abyss is fantastic. The battle music makes it like your endanger and need to kick some butt. The boss battle music makes the boss look more powerful and gets your adrenaline pumping. The music in each of the towns and the overworld map is soothing. Each town has their own unique soundtrack to them. They all sound great and very pleasing to the ears. Overall sound is top notch as well as the music.

Conclusion:

Tales of the Abyss is a splendid game. Yes, there are some small problems with the game but they aren't game breaking or will cause you to pull out your hair. It's very beautiful, very fun, interactive, has a great story and an awesome soundtrack. This port was very well done and hope to see other Tales games get ported to the 3DS in the future. There is a lack of 3D effects within the game and thought that the cut scenes would have looked a lot better and have a bigger effect on the story if the 3D was enabled for them. If you are a tales fan, RPG fan, or looking for a good game that will last awhile then I recommend you go pick this up. You will not be disappointed.

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