Techs and Spells in ToD2

[supersonic1453]

I was looking at a faq on gamefaqs and I was wondering...

Is there any reason that Namco decided that it was a good time to change every single classic Tales move to something new.  Every spell and tech in ToD2 is unique to that game.  Now I like everyone's techs and spells and the fact that it is ridiculously easy to go into a hi-ougi, but it just seemed weird that's all.

Oh, and I never liked the fact that you are severely penalized in SP and TP for going behind the enemy.

[Fluffy]

I'm guessing you're talking about ToE, not ToDj... And in that case, if you look (and as I mentioned on another thread o.o;) there isn't a lot of consistancy with localizing tech names. It's also kind hard to say that all their names were changed only in ToE.
Example:

Senkuuretsuha/Senkuureppa
"Flash Empty Fissure Destruction"

Translated Name(s):
Magma Rift (ToP DeJap-Tokugi)
Light Spear (ToP GBA - Tokugi)
Light Spear  (ToD-Tokugi)
Spiral Attack (ToD2/ToE-Tokugi)
Light Spear (ToS-Higi)

Its name was technically always changed when it was localized.

Also, at the time ToE was released, there really wasn't any consistancy in localizing the Tales games, because the only other game to come to the US was ToD. I also remember a lot of the spell names staying the same... At least I know for a fact that Indignation was still Indignation and not Holy Wrath.

That being said, I do see your point. It seems like ToE is the stand-alone when it comes to the names of a lot of those techs. My little example there does prove your point. And honestly, there doesn't seem to be any reason for it, other than trying to westernize things. They coulda done it without making all the techs sound rediculous. When it comes to localization, ToS is the example that all the other games should follow. ^_^

[supersonic1453]

No, sorry for not being clear.  I was talking about the real ToD2, the sequal to ToD,
where all the spells and moves are different from every other Tales game (that I've played, I can't say anything about Rebirth). 


My guess to why the English names are different is that the names were more based upon how they looked and sounding good rather than an accurate translation.  Light Spear was a good name for it in ToD because that's what it was, spears of light.  Reid's version looked nothing like Stahn's so that might be why it was changed to Spiral Attack, which is a more fitting name for Reid's version, and I'm sure that none of these games (early on at least) were translated by the same person/team.

[chingi1]

I'm not sure what you're talking about? Well, yeah in Tod2 all the skills/spells are unique to that game, but they aren't that unique. Like the spells have different names, but they are soo just slightly different versions of the usual tales spells. Stone Zapper? C'mon, that's just a tod2 interp. of stone blast. As for the other skills well they are basically the same. Similar looking skills w/ diff. names.

[supersonic1453]

That just furthers my point.  Why change them if they end up being the same anyway.

[chingi1]

They want to trick you into thinking its new? So, I did understand what you ment? Well, there was no SP penalty in TOE so it should've been obvious that he was talking about the real tod2. I guess since most of the moves just got an elemental atribute added to them they figured they should've been named completely different?!?!

[Fluffy]

Well, there was no SP penalty in TOE so it should've been obvious that he was talking about the real tod2.

I guess I'm just an idiot. 

[Kiko]

I'm not sure what you're talking about? Well, yeah in Tod2 all the skills/spells are unique to that game, but they aren't that unique. Like the spells have different names, but they are soo just slightly different versions of the usual tales spells. Stone Zapper? C'mon, that's just a tod2 interp. of stone blast. As for the other skills well they are basically the same. Similar looking skills w/ diff. names.

But Stone Zapper actually has the three small stone..pellet thingies (what is WITH how pathetic it is XD) fly at you as if someone threw them. Stone Blast has small stone pellet thingies appear from the ground and hit you as they fly up. It actually works a little differently.

I'll go through a few spells and their traditional Tales counterparts actually..

Burn Strike seriously needs to return in some form, that spell rocks XD
Volcanic Ray is like a seriously unuseful version of Eruption. It's pretty hard to incorperate the debris into a strategy too.
Ancient Nova is a two hit Explosion! That's different XP
Freeze Hunter totally doesn't compare to Freeze Lancer, at all.
Spash is a backwards Spread that lasts on the screen alot longer (well, ToE's Spread lasted alot longer)
Ceiling Fall is essential Rock Mountain, and we haven't had that spell in the games since god knows when, so I can't really say how different they are since the LMB has changed alot since then.
Wind Slash is totally, definitely a copy of Wind Cutter
Thrust Fang is an awkward Air Thrust.. I can't really remember it specifically since It's been a while XP
Fearful Storm doesn't last as long as Cyclone would..
Prism Flasher is an updated Prism Sword (ToE version, not ToS), neither are terribly accurate too I think XD
aaand Crazy Comet I'd take over Meteor Swarm any day thanks to the tons of FAST comets we get, rather than a few huge chunks of..meteors.

Honestly it depends on which game's spells you're comparing them to directly. Most of them do work differently/backwards atleast.

[chingi1]

Well, they aren't all exactly the same. Sometimes spells even change between elements. Like ray, usually a bunch of rays that extend in many directions. Sometimes it looks like lasers. Sometimes it looks like a holy light. Sometimes each ray causes a hit. Sometimes if the monster is in that usual area it'll get hit, but it gets counted as a one hit spell. The ray in tod ps2 looks blue (or I need glasses). Not matte what they are all ray. (This wasn't a great example as they is no ray in this game, but its in a lot of others.)

Ancient Nova is Explosion w/ an extra hit... if you consider this different then I guess sony can sell you a ps4385894389475 that is just smaller than the ps3 for $1278439070847309870983745389475...
The are always going to be a little different. If it is very different then it tend to get a different name. Unless its like an extra 50 hits or a completely different animation (not just backwards, sideways, or upside down) which actually something different... Well, the thing is why did they choose to change it? Because they could.

Look at it this way. In tod only the swordian users could use spells. Now, everyone can. Why? Because that's how they wanted to do it.

[supersonic1453]

I was just thinking that maybe all the spell names were changed because the classic spells were for the swordians, and since they were destroyed, new magic had to be created

[Sword-Breaker]

I'm not angry or anything, but I thought it was kind of stupid how they never explained the source of the magic in ToD2.  They could have just said somehting simple -- like you can use the energy from the lens you gathered to cast crappy versions of the orignal spells or something...

[chingi1]

Yea, that would've been nice, but look at the bright side. Maybe non-swordian users will get some spells?

[Joan-Michele]

Oh, and I never liked the fact that you are severely penalized in SP and TP for going behind the enemy.

Oh, I liked it, it makes the gameplay radically different and much more thought-demanding than the generic rush-enemy-and-mash-your-strongest-skills schtick.

Besides, the sword techs in ToD2j looks much more awesome than the stock skills recycled in the Tales series over and over. Personally, I really want to see Shinkuu Rensatsugeki and Toryuu Rengekiha in the remake. From the screenshots, I can see that Bakuenken is already gonna be in the remake, which is cool.  XD

I just hope the damage dealt by Spells and Physical Skills are more balanced than in ToD2j.

[supersonic1453]

I think the rushing and mashing part is taken care off by the system itself.  You're going to run out of sp eventually, but I always liked switching targets to take care of spell casters, and as luck would have it, spells in that game are ridiculously strong.  So I ghave to hope a Ganzanmessaijin or Gesenkou hits a spell caster, or just guardian it

[Joan-Michele]

I think the rushing and mashing part is taken care off by the system itself.  You're going to run out of sp eventually, but I always liked switching targets to take care of spell casters, and as luck would have it, spells in that game are ridiculously strong.  So I ghave to hope a Ganzanmessaijin or Gesenkou hits a spell caster, or just guardian it

Not really, equip 2 faerie rings and you can kiss your TP consumption woes goodbye. XD

[supersonic1453]

I said sp, but whatever, tp's good too.