Tales of Xillia 2 (for PlayStation 3)

A Prisoner Of DebtTales of Xillia 2 has a very novel approach to plot progression in that th protagonist, Ludger Kresnik, amasses an astronomical debt early in the game. He borrows from a bank to pay off the debt, but is so deeply crippled by the loan that the financial institution watches his every move and prevents him from traveling. Essentially, the story doesn't progress until you've paid off a specific amount of the 20-million gald (the in-game currency) debt.

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Debt, especially in the later chapters in the game, feels more like padding than a creative way to move the plot forward. Early in the storyline, the plot moves at a glacial pace, but payments are small and easy to manage. Later, the plot's pace picks up, but minimum payments become massive money-sinks. Taking on fetch quests, hunting elite monsters, or earning a fortune in poker are all fun ways to earn money and kill time—when they're optional.
Hard TimesStill, Tales of Xillia 2 get points for its story's empathetic and relatable themes. Right from the offset, Ludger Kresnik  blows an once-in-a-lifetime chance to work as an agent for the Spirius Corporation and has to making ends meet by working at a cafeteria at the local train station. He gets mixed up in a terrorist train hijack, and learns that his brother has become incriminated in the scheme. Ludger then finds himself stuck caring for an eight-year-old brat and shackled to the aforementioned debt. All of this happens within the first hour of the game.
The real tragedy, though, is that Ludger is a blank slate who lacks personality. That's unfortunate, because many of the Tales series' protagonists are memorable and interesting due to their personalities and character flaws.
Good, But Inflexible, CombatTales of Xillia 2 has the best real-time action combat system of any Tales game to date, and is perhaps the most advanced action combat system in any RPG I've played. Every character fights with basic attacks and special attacks called Artes. These attacks can be customized and modified with directional inputs and have different ranges and properties. All characters can also block, dash, and jump, which opens the door to a great range of movement. In addition, a modifier button lets you perform a second set of special attacks, such as aerial launchers, as well as defensive sidestepping.
Tales of Xillia 2 utilizes the link system introduced in the original game, which lets you team up with one of the four active combat members to perform unique attacks and fight in tandem. This is done by pressing the D-pad in the direction of a character's portrait during combat. You can also change your partner's AI in this manner, from all-out assault to defensive or supportive roles. Many of Tales of Xillia's monstrous combos can be performed through linking, which lets you and an AI partner slap around enemies and bosses. After a few fights, the link system becomes second nature: It's intuitive and gives you tremendous control over other playable characters without the need to manually control them.

New to Tales of Xillia 2 is Ludger's ability to swap between weapon sets during combat. Ludger begins with dual swords, but he earns a heavy-hitting hammer and pair of pistols—each with their own unique attacks and Artes—that he can switch to at any time. Ludger also gains an altered form called Chromatus, which lets him perform unique attacks specific to that form, much like the Devil Trigger in the Devil May Cry games.
The rest of the party doesn't receive the same level of versatility as Ludger. In fact, the party system in Tales of Xillia 2 is one of the greatest handicaps to the combat, because it is so inflexible.
You can only play as three other characters—not including the ever-present Ludger—during specific chapters. You encounter returning party members from the original game as well as new ones, but you cannot swap them in during storyline sections or character quests; you can only do so when you're grinding for money between story missions. It's frustrating.
Ludger's own versatility, with three unique weapon types and his powerful Chromatus form, are clearly meant to offset this. But Ludger is so powerful and well-rounded that you cripple your offensive capabilities by not using him. Even worse, the computer AI doesn't effectively use him. So, despite the great range of playable characters and fighting styles that are available, you'e limited to only certain characters during story sections, and limited further by their lack or depth when compared to Ludger.
Flawed, But FunIf the combat alone could carry a game, Tales of Xillia 2 would be a must-play title. But even the best combat system can get repetitive and monotonous, especially if the game spans dozens of hours. Storytelling, dialogue, atmosphere, and art direction are all just as important as combat a game; some may argue that this is especially true in a RPG. Despite the party-limitation and underdeveloped cast, Tales of Xillia 2's combat is rock-solid and thoroughly enjoyable. But the boring protagonist hurts the otherwise good dialogue exchanges between characters, and the debt system does not innovate at all beyond the novelty of having a debt system that determines the story pacing.