>>3561182Well now, where do I start.
Tales of Destiny is arguably the game that put the entire series on the map to begin with. Not only was it the very first to be localized, it also introduced so many concepts that are still staples of the series today. Things like the combo counter that gives extra EXP and other bonuses the higher your max combo in a battle, cooking, multiplayer, manual control, an animated opening FMV, and even skits. It may be very clunky by today's standards and kind of easy but it does a lot of great things and the story is still just as compelling. It was the first game Mutsumi Inomata did character design for and while I'm not the biggest fan of her work normally she really knocked it out of the park, especially with the main heroine. It was the first game to get a direct sequel, and just how special is it that the rudest, loudest, greediest, most tomboyish main heroine in the series is also the only one to end up getting married and having a child. Only the best for the love of my life.
And then there's the remake which takes everything clunky and awkward about the original and throws it out the window and turns it into not only the definitive Destiny experience, but possibly the definitive Tales experience as well. It finally managed to phase out the obnoxiously limiting TP system by introducing CC which has more or less been the standard combat system for the series since. So much beautiful 2D animation, adorable sprites for my wife, extremely quick and intense combat, and so very many extra features that make it that much more fun to replay, like Narikiri Dolls or Survival Mode or infinite movement. Not to mention the best dungeons in the series, bar none. It's hard to think of genuine faults with the game, other than random encounters, and probably the fact that Leon is so disgustingly popular that every other character just gets ignored by artists.
So yes, I love Rudy's game and series almost as much as I love her.
