Wii Tales Game Revealed

Namco Bandai is going crazy with the Tales games. Debuting in the latest issue of Weekly Shounen Jump are three Tales titles for three different platforms.

For the PlayStation 3 comes the much expected port of Tales of Vesperia. But not just a direct port! Namco Bandai is adding a new character to the mix, a young pirate girl named Patty Fruel. Patty has a unique way of talking -- she apparently speaks like an old person! In battle, she makes use of knives and guns and is said to resemble the pirate class from Radiant Mythology 2.

Vesperia's PS3 conversion will hit Japan in 2009. It will be joined by a new Tales of Vesperia movie now in production at Production I.G.

PSP is getting an all new Tales game that appears to have taken some influence from Dissidia Final Fantasy. Set for release this summer is Tales of VS, a fighting game featuring characters from past Tales games. The game offers fights for four characters simultaneously, although there's no word just yet on four player simultaneous play. Confirmed characters include Vesperia's Yuri, Hearts' Shing, Symphonia Dawn of the New World's Richter, and Abyss' Luke.

Finally, the main event: Tales of Graces. This is the Wii "mothership" title that Namco Bandai debuted through a video last year.

In Graces, players take control of Aspel Rant, an 18-year-old who resides on the outskirts of a kingdom. Some unspecified event takes place that leaves Aspel desiring strength. A catch phrase for Aspel listed in the magazine says "I don't want to lose anyone again," suggesting that the unspecified event involved someone's death.

All the other details in the magazine are on the vague side. The game will have the theme of "Protect" or "Defend." Players can look forward to a large scale story along with new gameplay systems.

Graces hits Japan this Winter, closing off what looks like another crowded year for Namco Bandai's flagship RPG series.

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