Tales of Xillia Coming to New Zealand

Namco Bandai have announced that Tales of Xillia will be releasing in New Zealand, exclusively on the PlayStation 3. The latest in the "Tales of" Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) franchise, Tales of Xillia lets players enter the world of Rieze Maxia some time in 2013.

“The recent success for last autumn’s release of Tales of the Abyss and the anticipated release of Tales of Graces f and its exclusive European Edition has helped make localizing Tales of Xillia for the western market one of the easiest decisions we have ever made,” said Olivier Comte, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Publishing for Namco Bandai Games Europe S.A.S. “The latest game in this prolific series gives gamers a brand new world and cast of characters to adventure with along with its celebrated battle system that has yet to be rivaled by other Japanese RPGs.”

Tales of Xillia debuted in Japan late last year, where it was praised by popular local magazine Famitsu. The publication, which is well known for strict review scores, awarded it 39/40, the highest a "Tales of" game has achieved in Famitsu.

From the press release:

Tales of Xillia follows Jude Mathis, a clever medical student attending school in the capital city, and Milla Maxwell, a mysterious woman accompanied by four unseen beings. Players will be able to choose either Milla or Jude at the outset of their adventure through the world of Rieze Maxia, where humans and spirits live together in harmony.

The kingdom of Rashugal has been experimenting with a powerful device that has been draining the mana from the world. Realizing the harm it is inflicting on the world, Milla and Jude set off on a journey to destroy it and restore the mana back to the world. Over the course of the game their lives will intersect with a vast ensemble of characters that will teach them the strength of unwavering convictions and they are accompanied with the responsibilities it entails.

Players will engage enemies with the critically acclaimed Linear Motion Battle System that the Tales of series is famous for. The system allows for real-time movement and attacks, giving the player a more tactical role in the midst of fights.

The battle system in Tales of Xillia has been upgraded to Double Raid Linear Motion Battle System to let two characters combine their attacks to utilize devastating dual-character attack, letting fans strategize the best party setup for their style of play.

The announcement also included a number of screenshots, which you can view in the game's gallery.