Tales of Xillia 2 (E3 2014 Preview)

Tales of Xillia 2 is the upcoming release for the Tales of series from Bandai Namco. The new title will be one of two Tales of games releasing in 2014, and the game is the second in the Tales of Xillia series. BioGamer Girl had a chance to see the new game in action at E3 2014, and we left impressed with what was detailed to us. Gone is the linearity of the original game, and the new title will feature at least 25 hours of new gameplay with a story set one year after the events of the first game. Plenty of other enhancements have been added to the game that will make this one of the most exciting releases for Namco Bandai when it releases in August 2014 exclusively on PlayStation 3.


One of the most interesting new features for Tales of Xillia 2 is the dynamic storyline. Players will be faced with plenty of tough decisions while progressing through the game, and the grittier and darker narrative is somewhat reminiscent of Telltale's The Walking Dead series. The choices made during the campaign will have massive consequences on the outcome of the game, though their significance may not be first felt until much later in the game. Decisions can even impact the affinity for characters in the game and change how they fight in battle. The new choice and consequence feature is definitely a really neat feature and is one of the biggest reasons for fans to check out the upcoming release.


Battles in Tales of Xillia 2 will also be changed from the original release. For starters, Tales of Xillia 2 includes three new playable characters that will greatly change the composition of most battle formations. The characters can also work together for combination attacks known as Link Artes that produce some of the most damaging attacks in the game. Strategy in the game is still fairly similar to the original with players not actually controlling characters, but instead, battle orders are given before a fight begins that the AI will follow once the battle begins. It's a unique way to fight in the JRPG series, and it works just as well in Tales of Xillia 2 as in previous releases.


Tales of Xillia 2 makes several drastic improvements over the last release in the series to make the new game more accessible than ever. Fans of the series will feel right at home in the new release, and gamers should know if they enjoy JRPG gameplay or not by now. The genre has been somewhat devoid of any big releases in recent years, though the genre pops up more often on PlayStation 3, but Tales of Xillia 2 offers a fun experience for the genre that should continue to see the same sort of success as the rest of the series has produced for Bandai Namco, and it might even manage to attract some new players with the new gameplay and features coming to the title.



Tales of Xillia 2 is now available for preorder from most major retailers for the MSRP of $59.99 and is scheduled to release exclusively for PlayStation 3 on August 19, 2014. Tales of Xillia 2 is not yet rated. For more information on the game, check out the official Tales of Xillia 2 website.

Game Features:

• Single Player
• New Storyline for Tales of Series
• JRPG Gameplay Mechanics
• DLC Support
• Trophy/Achievement Support

Game Information:
Developer & Publisher: Bandai Namco
Available exclusively for PlayStation 3 (previewed)
Release Date: August 19, 2014