GamersPlatform Reports: "After the release of the four Free DLC of Tales of Vesperia last week, Namco Bandai releases 14 more DLC over the XBOX Live Marketplace, making the life of lazy RPG gamers a lot easier. This time, though, it's not free as you have to PAY! What's next, Namco?
OXM UK writes: "Tales of Vesperia is the game many have credited with single-handedly turning around Xbox 360's fortunes in Japan. Within a week of the game being released over there, the console was completely sold out nationwide.
To celebrate the release of Tales of Vesperia, Namco Bandai releases 4 Free downloadable contents to help you start off in a grand adventure! As reported last week, this is just the beginning of Namco Bandai making the life of people who doesn't want to spend time with the game a lot easier. We will probably see the Level Up DLC next week? Who knows?
Gamerdeals.net writes:
Siliconera.com writes "Kotaku sparked an interesting discussion when Level up packs appeared as Tales of Vesperia downloadable content. There are three packs online now: Level Up + 5 (1), Level Up + 5 (2), and Level Up + 10. However, you cannot repeatedly buy the Level Up + 10 Pack and skip grinding all together. Each of these packs and the 300,000 gold can only be purchased once. If you buy all of the level up packs the maximum paid level boost you can get is 20 levels for 700 Microsoft Points ($8.75)."
Destructoid writes: There's a reason why people call the company Scamco Bandai, and that's because Namco's approach to DLC borders on the insulting. Not content to sell incomplete games at retail and charge people for stuff that's already hidden on the disc, the dhampirs have now hit upon an even more outrageous scheme -- charging you cash to download level ups in Tales of Vesperia.
Kotaku: Sure, Namco Bandai's latest Tales RPG had to settle for a fourth place finish, but it faced strong competition. Phantasy Star Portable, with its Monster Hunter Portable-like appeal, still holds down the number one spot, with the newest Fire Emblem and Rhythm Tengoku Gold placing and showing, respectively, with well over one hundred thousand units sold. Tales of Vesperia's 100K-plus debut week is certainly going to move some Xbox 360s in Japan, as gamers there were lining up en masse to secure the 360 exclusive RPG.
"Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara is not just a big electronics store in Tokyo, it is one of the (if not the largest) electronics stores in the world. I was there earlier this week and was pretty surprised to see that they had sold out of all versions of the Xbox 360 consoles. Looks like the Japanese have got Tales of Vesperia fever, which was recently released over here."
"Tales of Vesperia" sure has been getting some serious attention. It's one of the few games that managed to actually make the 360 sell out in Japan, and seriously drive the sales of the system with the RPG crowd. Well, Bandai-Namco certainly has taken notice to this and is offering something special to the fans.
Namco Bandai isn't shy about adding downloadable content to their Xbox 360 games. In the case of Idolm@ster it's excessive, but the publisher is giving Tales fans a break. Four packs of Tales of Vesperia downloadable content are sitting on the Japan's Xbox Live Marketplace which instantly gives players a set of restorative gummies, ingredients for item synthesis, and skills for the two main characters.
First Day sales in Japan 8/7
Destructoid writes:
Xbox360
On the websites of retailers such as Walmart, the finalized boxart for Tales of Vesperia seems to have been leaked (back before Tales of the Abyss's release, the boxart was leaked on GameFly's website).
Soul Calibur IV (Xbox 360, Bandai Namco): 9 / 9 / 8 / 8 - (34/40)
Kombo Reports: "Microsoft is bringing home the goods of E3 with all kinds of goodies on Xbox Live. Aside from Too Human, Microsoft has also posted a demo of Tales of Vesperia on Live Marketplace. This is the first next-gen installment of the Tales franchise and looks to redefine the series.
Namco-Bandai announced on the Tales of Vesperia Japanese Developer's Blog that a special pre-order DVD, entitled "Tales Channel DVD", will be given out in tandem with Tales of Vesperia's release.
"One Namco Bandai fighter shines, another flops."
Namco-Bandai Games in North America has launched a teaser page for the Tales Brigade, which seems to be somewhat of a rebirth of Tales Underground, a website that was launched to promote the series around the release of Tales of Legendia in North America.
As the debut of the Tales series on the Xbox 360 and in HD graphics, Tales of Vesperia will be released in America on August 19th, 2008, and not in Europe until 2009.