Tales of Berseria

[kyrt]

So just use this as a main thread for Tales of Berseria talk about characters, plot, development decisions etc...

So the new Tales of series game is almost upon us and I'm having difficulty deciding whether or not to buy this one. Zestiria was a bit boring but not an unplayable game and this one looks a lot better. The plot and even combat seem interesting and I would probably buy it if that was all that concerned me. However the recent announcement of Namco Bandai has caused me to question whether or not this is a game I should bother supporting. 

For reference the censorship in the game pertains to an early part of the game where a sword impaling someone is changed to two swords impaling someone. In fact it actually seems a bit more brutal with the censored scene. I don't care for censorship (they altered the scene to not go over a 16+ rating in Europe apparently) but since the intent/purpose of the scene is still there and doesn't actually change a whole lot (to my knowledge?) is this an instance where I can just let it be.

The second issue is that the PC version, the version I would prefer to get has Denuvo in addition to Steam. I've heard and read a lot about Denuvo and hypothetically none of it is good. I don't like buying games with DRM and I didn't buy anything but non-DRM copies from Mangagamer when they still offered it. I've gotten a tad more lax on this type of thing and I'm pretty sure that at least one game I have already had Denuvo install so am I making more issue towards this than I should be?

The third issue is whether or not I should just bite the bullet and buy it on PS4 instead. I do prefer games on PC but could probably get used to a controller again if need be. So the question I ask if I do end up deciding to get it should I get is PS4 (edit: I own one) or PC?

One final question I have is whether or not people are planning on buying the game or are looking forward to it at all? 

Edit: I'm currently considering just waiting and buying the PS4 version (or if they remove denuvo pc version) at a later date in time. If anyone does buy it be sure to let us know if the game is even worth it.

[sarkasmus]

I won't discuss the censorship issue (again), everyone has to know for themselves to what extend they don't mind it.
For me it's enough reason to buy the game only used for a few €, or wait until I learned enough japanese to play the original version. Whatever happens first.

Denuvo is a bigger issue though. Many say it wouldn't be bad or not even DRM, but that's just wrong and outdated information (Denuvo changed since it was first used).

1.) Other than the early Denuvo versions used on DAI or LotF, it now requires a 3rd party online veification by their own servers which makes it a full DRM.

2.) PC versions of BNE games tend to need fanpatches to fix issues, which won't be happening for this one because of denuvo (which also means the censored scene will not be restored by the community, and the performance issues on some new systems which are already known won't be fixed that way either). Because different from the earlier Denuvo version which barly affected modding, the currently used one checks more than just the games executable but the triggers are spread all accross the games Data in the RAM.

3.) The preservation and the ablity to play the game in the futrue is not given, if Denuvo shuts down the servers, changes their adresses without the publisher patching it (and they won't care if the game is older) or MS simply starts to see it as an Security issue because it sits rather deep in the system (like they did with safedisc or Securom) and blocks it via an update all Denuvo Games are reduced to useless data. Or the DRM could just become incompatible with newer drivers or Hardware (same thing apllies to all intrusive DRM measures)

4.) Especially annoving for many is the online activation of the game which happens at various times (after OS-Update, afer change in Bios settings, after game crashes, in a set intervall which is different for every game and for some games even everytime you boot your system, meaning every time you start your PC)

5.) It's very deep in the system, some of the files even stay active after the game is uninstalled what they're doing is still unknown (excepting for the Denuvo developers and some hackers of course). And I advice against any program which behaves like a virus on your PC, even if itself doesn't cause harm it's still a potential security issue.

 

If you should buy a PS4? For one game definitely not, it's not worth the money. If there are enough games so it's worth it I would always recommend having a console in addition to the Gaming-PC so you can  avoid terrible Ports and intrusive DRM measures.

[Nashetania]

I'd love to play it, but it's too expensive... 

[Fred the Barber]

I'll pick it up on the PS4, but we'll see when I get around to playing it. I always play these games on a consoles, and I prefer digital, but it's freaking $10 more on the Playstation Store than it would be to buy a physical copy that would undoubtedly be delivered on release day by Amazon. WTF.

[Papa Sheep]

It's been a while since I played a tales game.  Xillia was my last one and I didn't really care for it.  The characters never really impressed me and the English voice acting ranged from acceptable to absolute garbage.  While I haven't done a ton of research on Berseria, I'm interested in picking it up and seeing how it is.  The only real problem is the massive amount of games that have either just come out or are coming out this month that I'm interested in.  Going to be hard pressed to find the time to play.

[Darklord Rooke]

Is there motion blur when you swivel the camera? I'm thinking of picking this up for my sister, but she gets migraines. One of her migraine triggers is when swiveling the camera generates a fair bit of motion blur. She loved the older Tales games, but couldn't play Zestiria because of it.

[Nashetania]

Meanwhile while we wait, let's treat ourselves to this epic theme!

 

[kyrt]

4 hours ago, Darklord Rooke said:

Is there motion blur when you swivel the camera? I'm thinking of picking this up for my sister, but she gets migraines. One of her migraine triggers is when swiveling the camera generates a fair bit of motion blur. She loved the older Tales games, but couldn't play Zestiria because of it.

They have a free demo on PS4 and PC if you want to check which is one of the things I do appreciate about this release...PC players can find out if the game is even capable of being played now.

[Okarin]

Berseria is now among us.

The game looks fine enough, but it has been said that it trashes the CPU. On the other hand, the GPU is almost left untouched.

This could be due to Denuvo, but some games have been known to use Denuvo on their first month (to drive away the pirates, allegedly) and not later.

In that sense it's probably worth considering getting it on Summer or Winter sale, this same year.

Also Denuvo CAN'T destroy your drive, for example. It can trash your SSD, because of the sheer number of inputs and outputs (read and write operations), but if you know it you have a big advantage. It can make you squander your computer's resources and quite a lot of electricity, but should it damage your rig, it would be illegal.

[SilverLi]

I've heard good stuff of the game. How it was better on every point compared to the bland Zestiria. Anyone could confirm that?

[BookwormOtaku]

 I'll get it since from what I hear is storywise you're essentially playing an evil aligned campaign, definitely different from the rest of the series, and I'm curious to see how that pulls off seeing as how well it's been received.

[Clephas]

@Darklord Rooke For your information, the game's visuals are extremely smooth, even when the camera swivels.  However, keep in mind that I'm playing on PS4 Pro on a UHD TV... so my experience probably isn't going to be equivalent to the average one.