Instead of breaking new grounds, the Tales series from publisher Namco Bandai focused on perfecting the formula of traditional Japanese RPG with a real-time combat system and rich characters. It seems Tales of Vesperia for the Microsoft Xbox 360 is different, however, since series creator Tales Studio is reaching for new heights with online features and unparalleled visuals.

In an interview, Tales of Vesperia producers Tsutomu Gouda and Yoshito Higuchi discussed about the upcoming tale you'd be able to share with everyone across the world. They dropped many promising details to whet the appetite of fans and let newcomers know why Vesperia will be a great entry level title.

World Rankings are in, which allow players to showcase their longest combo strings, mini-game scores, and completion time among all things. Players previously had to make do with online forums to compare stats, but it looks like competing is going to be a lot easier in Tales of Vesperia.

As for downloadable content, Gouda and Higuchi explained they'll be quite generous. Unlike other games that don't offer everything out of the box, the latest Tales ensures you won't be drawing the short stick even without Microsoft Points.

For Vesperia, devs plan to sell "game modification tools" while the entire package is already on the disc. This means significant in-game items and accessories will be unlockable for those who want to use money, but it's also possible to acquire them by playing the game.

Since the Tales series' trademark fast-paced combat requires skill if you are to rack amazing combos, Higuchi assures it'll be fair play when shooting for the rankings whether or not you purchased DLC. "The purchasable content is just to aid people in completing the game," he said.

Of course, the online component is just a portion of new things Tales of Vesperia will bring to the table. To further polish gameplay, the next-gen Tales title is going to introduce encounter linking (akin to Blue Dragon, where enemies team up when in range), enhanced Over Limit mechanics, and finishing moves.

Meanwhile, the producers did not deny the possibility of bringing the game to PS3. It just so happens that development began when it was just the Xbox 360 in the market, explained Higuchi. The series is also celebrating its 10th anniversary in North America, so the 360's popularity in that region was a factor in choosing which platform to develop for.

In case you haven't heard yet, it was reconfirmed that Bonnie Pink is in charge of Tales of Vesperia's theme song. She'll do both English and Japanese versions of the song, like what Utada Hikaru does in Kingdom Hearts.

Oh, and Swords of Legendia which we haven't heard of since it was announced back in the Wii's launch is in development. Not a Tales game, but something out of Gouda's sleeves for the waggle console.

For the full interview, click on the "via" link below.