The Tales of ____

Of the ones I've played...

1.1) Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition. Yuri is the best protagonist in the series, in my opinion. The overall story and cast is among the best as well. This was also one of the last major JRPGs to feature a proper world map. Just a damn fine game all around. Big fan of the art style as well.

1.2) Tales of the Abyss. Tied with Vesperia for my top spot. Jade Curtiss is one of the best characters in the entire series. The overall plot of Abyss is also very good, and Luke is a great protagonist with a lot more growth than most. Excellent supporting cast as well.

2.) Tales of Xillia. This one has a solid cast and story throughout, and is the pinnacle of the series as far as the battle system goes. Dual protagonist angle was a nice touch, but could have been implemented better. I'll consider Xillia 2 as part of this, though Xillia 2's story was a bit on the "meh" side.

3.) Tales of Graces F. Another great entry. The cast is pretty good, story and world is interesting throughout, and the battle system is generally solid, though personally I feel it's a step in the wrong direction. Xillia had it right.

4.) Tales of Destiny 2 (aka Tales of Eternia). This one is classic. It may be a bit dated, but I feel a strong connection to it nonetheless. Great cast with a lot of charm, and the last of the 2D sprite-based titles of the PS1 era. Still holds up well today.

5.) Tales of Phantasia. The original. It's been a while since I've played it, and the only version we officially got was the GBA one, but it was actually really well-done. The time-travel aspect to the story was good and while the characters were a bit on the "predictable" side, it still manages to stand out even today.

6.) Tales of Legendia. A bit of a throwback, this one, and fairly unconventional (though this is likely due to it originally not being a Tales game). Some people disliked going back to the 2D combat, but I was fine with it. The setting and characters is where this one shines the most. Great cast, though the villains are fairly forgettable.

7.) Tales of Symphonia. Often cited as the best in the series. I disagree, though it's still a great game with a good cast of characters and good gameplay. It generally holds up well even today.

8.) Tales of Beseria. I'd rate this one higher than Symphonia or even Legendia if not for the fact that I find both its battle system and (especially) the equipment system to be lacking. Its story and characters are definitely on par with the rest of the series though.

9.) Tales of Destiny. Not a bad game, just not "great" either. Probably the most "average" of the series, but still decent and worth a look.

10. Tales of Symphonia 2. Bad game, mainly because it was a pointless sequel that really had no reason to exist. They had a few decent ideas here and there, but nothing really materialized properly. Best not to bother with it.

11.) Tales of Zestiria. Worst game in the series by far. Actually one of the worst JRPGs I've played. Unfortunately, Tales of Berseria suffers from retaining some of the mechanics that this entry implemented. Hopefully the series goes back to something more similar to Xillia for later entries.