Pros:
- Exciting Real Time Combat
- Good Voice-work
- Great Characters
- Vivid Art Style
Cons:
- Familiar & Sometimes Confusing Story
- Pacing Issues During First Half
- Mediocre Soundtrack
By now if you have played a Tales of game then you understand what you are getting into. This series is like that favorite comfort food. It always delivers exciting real-time combat, a familiar, but well told narrative, and strong characters who are immensely likable thanks to good characterization and solid voice work (at least most of the time). Xillia features all of these elements and clocks in between 40-50 hours on one playthrough, but when you start the game Xillia gives you the option of choosing whether to start as a male or female character (a first in the series). Even though both characters have heavy parts in the story, you get different perspectives on each character in their playthroughs. Xillia does have pacing issues, especially at the beginning when it seems like all you are doing is wondering around for no real purpose until the true plot kicks in (about 15-20 hours). Fortunately, the characters are likable and their relationships are mature and not childish like most RPG's. Some of the friendships are complicated and put to the test throughout the story. There are times when the story gets a little confusing and doesn't do a great job of explaining what is going on, but the nice skits (which are fully voiced hurray!) do a decent job of filling in gaps. Ultimately, Tales of Xillia is well worth it if you are a fan of the series or just want a lengthy action RPG. It's not the series best that have come stateside(for my money that's still Tales of Symphonia), but it is up there as one of the stronger entries in a long running franchise. Hopefully the sequel that comes out next year can build on this strong start.