It's a new month, and that means it’s time for Xbox Game Pass to drop a few games and add several more. A number of exciting games are coming to Game Pass over the course of October, including Ring of Pain, Back 4 Blood, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, and The Good Life. This service continues to provide a massive amount of value to PC and Xbox gamers alike, and should definitely be taken advantage of by any who are interested in rewinding to the time of cheap game rentals. It is unfortunate that six games, including Katana Zero and The Swords of Ditto: Momo's Curse, are going away by October 15, but that's the nature of the service.
With that being said, there is one particular game leaving the service that Xbox owners should not miss the chance to try out. Bandai Namco’s Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition will be among the games leaving this month. While there may not be enough time to finish this full-length JRPG, players should definitely give it a shot, as it's one of the highlights of the Tales franchise and is often on sale for fairly low prices nowadays. Tales of Vesperia has a lot to offer fans of action games, RPGs, and fighting games, and this chance to demo an extended portion of it should not be missed.
Tales of Vesperia is a Standout Tales Game
Vesperia holds an interesting spot amongst the Tales series. While its story isn't considered the best, its characters are often thought of as some of the best. Its combat also isn’t the most complex and satisfying in the series, but it's still considered one of the more refined games. All of this comes together in a package that, while not the absolute best Tales game in any one respect, is one of the most well-rounded entries in the franchise. It's telling that in its original Xbox 360 release, it was responsible for the console selling out in Japan.
One of the strongest amongst the cast, both in terms of fan reception and in gameplay, is Yuri Lowell. Veteran voice actor Troy Baker dubbed Yuri in the initial English release, and it was one of his breakout roles. Yuri is rather unique in the tales franchise, as he is a showy vigilante rather than the usual naive village boy. Right from the beginning, Yuri is trained in combat and knows what he wants to do with his life, and this strength of character extends to his straightforward but powerful gameplay. He exemplifies Vesperia’s combat system, unlocking new abilities and mechanics constantly as the game progresses, and eventually becoming capable of combos that resemble that of a high-flying fighting game. While the story can stumble at various moments, Yuri provides a solid emotional core and point-of-interest that players can keep coming back to.
Why the Definitive Edition is Worth Playing
The version of Tales of Vesperia available on modern consoles is the Definitive Edition. This edition is a localized port of the Japan-exclusive upgraded PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia. That port had a number of changes, but the most notable one was the addition of two extra party members. The new cutscenes and voice acting are worked in somewhat roughly, but that isn't enough to drag down the game.
As it is available on every console and PC, Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition gives everyone a chance to try this great game. With Game Pass, Xbox owners can do that for free, but only for a few more days. If any Xbox players have even a remote interest in the Tales franchise and want to get a taste for it now that Tales of Arise has been released, Tales of Vesperia will be more than enough to get them primed for more of the historic series.
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.
