XBL demo for Tales of Vesperia available to download…like now! (360)

SANTA CLARA, Calif., (July 15, 2008) – NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced that as a part of Microsoft’s E3 “Bringing it Home” campaign, a playable demo for the upcoming role-playing game Tales of Vesperia™ is now available for download from the Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Giving gamers a sample of the renowned Tales series’ Xbox 360 debut, the demo is free to all Xbox LIVE Silver and Gold account users.

Highlighting the 10th anniversary of the Tales series in North America, Tales of Vesperia takes the series into the HD era with cel-shaded graphics that rival traditional hand-drawn animation and an all-new quest of heroic proportions. New features as multi-stage Over Limit, Burst Artes and Fatal Strikes add new strategy and action to the Tales series’ signature real-time battles as players direct their whole party to victory. Tales of Vesperia will be the first game in the history of the Tales series to launch in Japan and North America within the same month.

The newly released Tales of Vesperia demo features a full dungeon for players to explore, packed with vicious enemies and highlighted by an encounter with a massive boss opponent. Up to four players can participate in the demo’s battles on a single Xbox 360, experiencing the unique attributes of each character in the party.

Tales of Vesperia for Xbox 360 will be available in stores on August 26, and is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information on the Tales series, please visit www.namcobandaigames.com.