Tales of Vesperia has decent narrative hooks but it falls apart due to the game trying too hard to make Yuri "cool" and the entire narrative bends over to serve that purpose in a way that's nauseating. Aside from that, I do think there's certain things to admire about Vespy such as how it uses camera to elevate its setpieces or the amount of combat mechanics there are to play with. I just wish its complexity wasn't gated up until the late game, early game is kinda bleh.

the Tales games are perfect when you're looking for an 80-hour story that sucks. Vesperia is no exception, though Yuri is easily the most likeable lead in any of the games, in no small part due to him not being a whiny 12 year old boy. instead, that role is reserved for every other member of the team.

Tales of Vesperia is a fully-fleshed world that deals with local to world conflicts, as Terca Lumireis faces crises with safety of entire cities, sapping a valuable world resource, and a standoff among mortals and entelexeia. It further challenges the idea of justice in unjust societies in the clash between Yuri Lowell and Flynn Scifo. Every playable character is complex and builds through gameplay. Weapon and ability upgrade system is neat. Combat, graphics, and gameplay are top notch.