Figured I would start talking about the characters who are in my banner. I’ve already gone a bit over B.D Joe from Crazy Taxi, so next on the list is Ludger from Tales of Xillia 2.

The Tales series has always been important to me and I’m someone who started with the series in 2003 with Symphonia on the Gamecube. The anime tropes it had was perfect for a younger me who was really into the counterculture anime had at the time, and it was a great game to boot. It was an action RPG, but it was more akin to a fighting game with how you moved in battle — it was just left and right, which is what the series referred to as linear motion. Thus came the term Linear Motion Battle System (LMBS.) At the time, there were few JRPGs that had this style of real time combat, and it clicked with me when I first played it.

As the years went by, I played Legendia, Abyss, Radiant Mythology, Phantasia, and Vesperia. After Vesperia I sorta went into this phase where I was lethargic and was self loathing. Emo edgy phase? I don’t know, but maybe I’ll talk more about it at a later time. Xillia 2 came out in 2015 and I didn’t even pay attention to Xillia 1 at all. I remember seeing trailers for it and the main character (Ludger) really drew my attention — a “modern” era setting yet still utilizing things like swords and sorcery. I really dig that kind of aesthetic. Man’s got a cellphone and uses multiple weapons to make money.

The game helped me in a critical portion of my life and I think it helped me develop into a better person. I got so engrossed into the world and its characters that I felt very alive, and I will always love this game for it. It helped me get my feet wet in regards to speedrunning, and I even participated in RPG Limit Break one year for this game.

The game desperately needs a remaster because my PS3’s seen better days.