Info about Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition:

Official game description:
  
Celebrate the 10th anniversary of Tales of Vesperia and the return of this fan-favorite with the Definitive Edition!  
A power struggle begins in a civilization dependent on an ancient technology, the blastia, and the Empire that controls it. The fates of two friends traveling separate paths intertwine in an epic adventure that threatens the existence of all.  
Dive into the Definitive version of this game with updated full HD graphics, brand-new music tracks, exciting mini-games, bosses, and a collection of unreleased costume DLC!  
Two more playable characters join the fray!  
• Patty Fleur, a cheerful and tough young pirate girl in search of treasure, adventure… and her forgotten memories.  
• Flynn Scifo, Yuri’s best friend and an Imperial Knight, now joins the rest on their journey!

Release date: Jan 10, 2019

Categories: JRPG, Action RPG, Character Progression, Character Customization, Exploration, Local Co-op, Story-driven Gameplay, Combat

Feature scans:
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: Needs Improvement; summary: The primary issues highlighted by users revolve around the necessity of using external guides to complete the game due to missable quests and lack of in-game guidance. These issues significantly impact the user experience, making it difficult to fully enjoy the game without constant reference to external resources.
- Steam Deck: score 55; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals significant issues with controller functionality and game stability, which are critical aspects of the gaming experience. Users report frequent problems such as buttons not working, controllers not being recognized, and the game crashing unexpectedly. These issues require players to frequently restart their systems or reconfigure settings, leading to a disrupted and frustrating experience. Additionally, while the game performs well at 60 FPS and is compatible with various peripherals, the persistent controller and stability issues overshadow these positive aspects.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $12.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that the community finds the game worth purchasing primarily during sales. The recommended prices during sales are around 1000-1200 yen and $10, which are approximately equivalent to $10-$12 USD. This indicates that the community considers the fair price range for the base game to be around these values during sales.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 50.0h
  - Story completion: 40.0h
  - Session length: 2.0h
  - Endgame: 10.0h
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides multiple accounts of playtime experiences. One user mentions playing through the game four times, indicating a significant total playtime. Another user reports a Steam-tracked playtime of 250.4 hours to achieve all accomplishments, suggesting a lengthy completion time. Additionally, a user mentions finishing the game in 155.55 hours with most optional content completed, which aligns with the idea of a long playtime for full completion. These accounts collectively suggest that the game requires a substantial time investment to complete fully, including optional content and achievements.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game starts with slow and clunky combat but becomes significantly more enjoyable as players progress, unlock more skills, and gain additional party members.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: Combat becomes more fun and party members are added.
  - Time to anchor: 3h 0m
  - Friction: Clunky and slow early combat; Limited abilities and skills early on; Repetitive and boring early game content
  - Unlock drivers: Unlocking more skills and abilities; Gaining more party members; Progressing through the game's story and combat challenges
  - Conditions: Playing with friends; Exploring the game's world and mechanics; Engaging with the game's story and characters
- Player Archetypes:
  - Dedicated Replayer (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of the game's story and characters.
    - Playstyle: Engages in multiple playthroughs, explores all content, and enjoys the narrative and character development.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: JRPG lover; Tales fan
    - Reference games: Tales of Berseria; Tales of Symphonia; Tales of Zestiria
  - Completionist (sale)
    - Motivation: Completing all available content and achieving 100% completion.
    - Playstyle: Uses guides to ensure all content is completed, focuses on side quests and hidden events.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: completionist; guide user
    - Reference games: Tales of Berseria; Tales of Zestiria
  - Guided Newcomer (sale)
    - Motivation: Learning and enjoying the game with the help of guides and recommendations.
    - Playstyle: Follows advice from experienced players, uses guides, and plays on recommended settings.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: newcomer; beginner
    - Reference games: Tales of Symphonia; Tales of Zestiria
  - Combat Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of the game's combat system and challenge.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on combat mechanics, enjoys the challenge, and appreciates the depth of the combat system.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: combat lover; challenge seeker
    - Reference games: Tales of Berseria; Tales of Arise


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Strong character development and story (weight 0.6): The game features an engaging and well-paced story with deep emotional connections to characters. Players appreciate the extensive character dialogue, growth, and well-developed personalities.
- Deep and engaging combat system (weight 0.39): The combat system is praised for its depth, complexity, and engaging mechanics. It is enjoyable, dynamic, and improves with skill progression, offering a variety of passive skills and abilities.
- Beautiful graphics and art style (weight 0.35): The game features beautiful and colorful graphics with a cel-shaded art style that has aged well. The visuals are stunning, and the characters and world are visually appealing.
- Excellent voice acting and soundtrack (weight 0.27): The game offers high-quality voice acting in both English and Japanese, enhancing emotional expression. The soundtrack is highly praised and memorable, contributing to the overall experience.
- High replay value (weight 0.09): The game offers high replay value with different difficulties, characters, skills, and additional content, making it worth the investment for players.

Common complaints:
- Combat system is unintuitive (weight 0.41): Many players find the combat system confusing, difficult to adapt to, and poorly responsive. It has a steep learning curve and can be frustrating, especially for beginners.
- Navigation and progression are unclear (weight 0.17): Players report confusing navigation and a lack of clear direction. The game lacks clear quest guidance and automatic hints, making progression difficult.
- Controller issues (weight 0.14): There are frequent issues with controller recognition and button mapping. Many players experience severe gamepad recognition errors and general controller malfunctions.
- Side quests have strict time limits (weight 0.13): Some side quests have strict time limits and can be missed easily. Many side quests lack hints and are time-limited, making them difficult to complete.
- Limited save points (weight 0.08): The game lacks an auto-save feature and has infrequent save points. This can be particularly frustrating in dungeons where there are few save points.
- English localization issues (weight 0.06): The English localization is criticized for simplifying dialogue, adding unnecessary jokes, and changing the tone of scenes. This reduces character depth and alters the intended experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Dynamic and engaging combat system (weight 0.48): The game features a complex and challenging combat system that is dynamic and engaging. It includes a variety of mechanics such as combo systems, artes, and character abilities, which evolve and deepen as the game progresses.
- RPG and progression elements (weight 0.24): The game features various RPG elements, including skill and gear systems, progression systems, and character skill progression tied to weapon mastery, offering a deep and complex gameplay experience.
- Exploration encouraged (weight 0.15): The game encourages exploration with a large and detailed world map, hidden locations, and secrets. Exploration mechanics include ship and flight navigation, which become easier in the later stages of the game.
- Extensive post-game content (weight 0.1): The game offers a variety of post-game content, including mazes, side quests, mini-games, and secrets, providing players with additional activities and enhancing replayability.
- Customizable difficulty settings (weight 0.08): The game includes different difficulty settings that can be adjusted to affect the gameplay experience, catering to both casual and hardcore players.
- Variety in combat and content (weight 0.06): The game offers a variety of weapons, combat modes, and content, providing players with diverse gameplay experiences and keeping the combat fresh and engaging.
- Local co-op gameplay (weight 0.05): The game supports local co-op and couch multiplayer, allowing players to enjoy the game together in a shared gaming experience.
- Classic JRPG elements (weight 0.05): The game incorporates typical JRPG elements, including a classic story and action JRPG gameplay, appealing to fans of the genre.
- Dungeon puzzles and unique dungeons (weight 0.05): The game features unique dungeons with small puzzles, adding an extra layer of challenge and exploration to the gameplay.
- Customizable AI behavior (weight 0.05): The game allows for customization of AI behavior, enabling players to tailor the AI's actions to their preferences and strategies.

Performance notes:
- Controller responsiveness issues (weight 0.28): Multiple reports indicate significant problems with controller responsiveness, including button inputs not working, delays, and recognition errors.
- Frame rate and resolution support (weight 0.2): Players have noted both high frame rate and 4K resolution support, but there are also reports of frame pacing issues and severe FPS drops.
- Game stability and crashes (weight 0.15): Several reports highlight game crashes, progress loss, and the game becoming unplayable after updates.
- Performance on specific hardware (weight 0.1): The game runs well on certain hardware configurations, including the Steam Deck with Proton and external monitors.
- Audio and graphical issues (weight 0.07): There are mentions of audio issues, including sound balance problems, and graphical issues that can be partially fixed with mods like ReShade.
- Input and cursor issues (weight 0.07): Problems with inputs not working, laggy inputs, and cursor movement issues have been noted.
- Settings not saving properly (weight 0.04): Players have experienced issues with gamepad settings and other settings not being saved correctly.
- Loading and saving times (weight 0.04): There are complaints about long loading times and saving times in certain areas of the game.
- Screen transition and animation issues (weight 0.04): There are reports of screen transition issues and character animations spazzing out.
- Long-standing bugs (weight 0.02): Some bugs have reportedly not been fixed for years, causing frustration among players.
- Cinematic video quality (weight 0.02): The quality and frame rate of cinematic videos have been criticized.

Recommendations:
- Highly recommended for JRPG fans (weight 0.16): This game is frequently recommended for fans of JRPGs and action RPGs, highlighting its appeal to lovers of the genre.
- High praise and recommendations (weight 0.16): Many reviewers give the game high ratings and strong recommendations, often scoring it 10/10.
- Favorite in the Tales series (weight 0.15): Several players consider this game one of their favorites in the Tales series, often comparing it to other beloved titles like Symphonia.
- Difficulty mode recommendations (weight 0.11): The game offers various difficulty modes suitable for different types of players, from beginners to experienced gamers.
- Worth trying for new players (weight 0.1): The game is recommended as a good introduction to the Tales series and a solid entry point for newcomers.
- Use spoiler-free guides (weight 0.09): Completionists and those looking to collect everything are advised to use spoiler-free guides.
- Good value on sale (weight 0.06): Many suggest buying the game on sale for better value, especially when combined with lower difficulty settings.
- Acknowledged flaws but worth it (weight 0.06): Despite some acknowledged flaws, the game is considered worth playing.
- Alternative game suggestions (weight 0.04): Some reviewers suggest playing other games like 'Tales of Arise' or 'Scarlet Nexus' instead.
- Mods and gameplay tips (weight 0.04): Players suggest using mods for better control settings and waiting for combat mechanics to become available.
- Platform and version recommendations (weight 0.02): The Switch version is recommended over the PC version for a better experience.
- Desire for more Tales games (weight 0.02): Players express a wish for more Tales games to be available on platforms like Steam.
- Avoid certain DLCs initially (weight 0.02): It is suggested to avoid using the Adventurer Starter Pack DLC at the beginning of the game.
- Remake suggestions (weight 0.02): Some players suggest a remake of 'Tales of the Abyss'.

Other player notes:
- Game length is extensive (weight 0.02): Many players noted that the game has a substantial length, providing a lot of content to engage with.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.3): Players are frustrated by a variety of issues, including combat mechanics that are often described as clunky, unresponsive, or outdated. Additionally, frequent bugs, crashes, and controller recognition issues significantly hinder the gameplay experience. The save system, camera issues, and lack of clear guidance or auto-save features also contribute to this frustration.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.13): Players feel nostalgic due to the game's classic JRPG elements, character interactions, and story, which remind them of their childhood or previous experiences with the series. The remastered version of a celebrated entry in the Tales JRPG franchise also evokes fond memories of playing the game on different platforms over time.
- Disappointment (weight 0.11): Players express disappointment mainly due to the game's outdated combat system and lack of significant improvements. The story and characters are also criticized for being uninteresting, predictable, or lacking depth. Additionally, the game's quality is often compared unfavorably to other titles in the series.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.1): Players enjoy the game's story, characters, and combat mechanics, which are often described as engaging and fun. The game's graphics, character development, and unique combat style also contribute to a positive experience. Despite some challenges, the overall experience is satisfying and memorable.
- Excitement (weight 0.08): Players are excited about the game's unique combat system, character interactions, and storyline. The dynamic and engaging combat system, along with the rich RPG systems, contribute to a sense of adventure and fun. The anticipation of exploring the entire series and trying out new things in the definitive edition also adds to this excitement.
- Appreciation (weight 0.05): Players appreciate the game's well-developed story and characters, as well as its detailed combat system. The vibrant world, charismatic characters, and narrative depth are also highlighted as positive aspects. The game's timeless aesthetic and beautiful art style contribute to a sense of appreciation.
- Joy (weight 0.05): Players experience joy from the game's story, characters, and unique abilities. The enjoyable character interactions, growth, and gameplay contribute to a wonderful adventure. The game's release on a new platform and the ability to finally play it also bring joy to players.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.05): Players feel satisfied with the game's content and combat system, which is often compared to Diablo. The enjoyable gameplay mechanics, character progression, and story resolution contribute to a sense of satisfaction. The game's high frame rate and resolution support, as well as its lack of DRM, also add to this feeling.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Players feel anger due to the game's combat mechanics, which are often described as frustrating and poorly designed. Game bugs, input issues, and poor design choices, such as the mini-game, also contribute to this anger. Updates that make the game unplayable further exacerbate these feelings.
- Happy (weight 0.02): Players are happy with the game's variety of characters, story, and combat system. The enjoyable cast, story, and combat, as well as the feeling of becoming stronger, contribute to a positive experience. The remaster and the depth of the combat system also add to this happiness.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Players are enthusiastic about the game's graphics, which have aged well and were spectacular for their time. The unique and interesting atmosphere, with many surprises and secrets, contributes to this enthusiasm. The excellent game with a great cast of characters and detailed combat system also adds to this feeling.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Players admire the game's excellent story and character development. The magnificent story, interesting battle mechanics, and memorable characters with their motivations contribute to a sense of admiration. The game's combat system, character development, and overall presentation are also highly regarded.
- Disappointed (weight 0.01): Players feel disappointed with certain parts of the game, including the story and gameplay issues. The dated experience and battle system, as well as combat feeling braindead and stressful item use, contribute to this disappointment. The game showing its age and slow combat system also add to these feelings.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Players feel a sense of sadness after finishing the game, with some admitting to crying a few times. The emotional impact of the story and characters, as well as the feeling of loss after completing the game, contribute to this sadness.
- Affection (weight 0.01): Players feel affection due to the enjoyable character interactions and voice acting. The emotional attachment to party characters and their development throughout the game contribute to a sense of affection.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Players feel confused due to navigation and progression issues, as well as the story abruptly jumping to the concluding arc. The lack of clear guidance and sudden story developments contribute to this confusion.
- Relief (weight 0.01): Players feel relief when issues are resolved, such as turning off game rumble to fix a problem. The reviewer providing a solution to fix the micro-stutter issue also contributes to this sense of relief.
- Satisfied (weight 0.01): Players feel satisfied with the combat system, which becomes more engaging in the later stages. The battle system is described as engaging, and the story is well-written, contributing to a sense of satisfaction.
- Boredom (weight 0): Players feel bored due to the story being boring and not picking up. The lack of engaging content and slow pace contribute to this sense of boredom.
- Amusement (weight 0): Players feel amused by the teammates' behavior with orange gels. The humorous and entertaining interactions and behaviors of characters contribute to this sense of amusement.}