“Tales of Eternia” for the Sony PlayStation Portable follows the story of a post-apocalyptic land that lies in grave danger of being destroyed. The land has few warriors who remain to fight against the deadly force that threatens to destroy the existence of mankind. It's an exciting tale with themes that touch on friendship, betrayal, and the risk of civil war. This game is the second chapter in an ongoing series with a Japanese anime rendering style. Also known as "Tales of Destiny II," this RPG experience allows you to play in real time, making for an experience that gamers of all tastes can appreciate. There is a large number of characters who narrate the game's plot, which offers unique departures into alternate worlds and intriguing subplots. A large number of mini-games add an additional dimension to the storyline, and the game boasts more than 60 hours of original gameplay. These “Tales of Eternia” PSP games have two basic versions. One is a European version, and the second is a Japanese version. The European “Tales of Eternia” supports English subtitles while the Japanese version supports Japanese voiceover. These Tales games had an initial release date of 2001 but were released for the PSP console in 2005. Set in the RPG genre, this PSP Tales game was developed by Namco Tales Studio. The “Tales of Eternia” game itself takes place in two massive worlds, both of which provide fun and exciting settings. The environments are set to 2D while the world map where you traverse is rendered in 3D. This makes for a unique visual combination that really helps to set this PSP game apart. The main character, Reid Hershel, is on a quest to discover the origins of a strange girl named Meredy. This quest takes him to the global city of Inferia as well as to an entirely different realm referred to as Celestia. Hershel is joined by his childhood friend, Farah Oersted, who is the main heroine of this "Tales" story. Other characters that Reid will meet along the way include Keele Zeibel, Undine, Efreet, and more.The fighting system found in the “Tales of Eternia” games is referred to as a Linear Motion Battle System. This advanced system combines standard fighting game elements with RPG features. The attacks and movements play out much like it would in standard fighting games. With this real-time battle system, it's up to you to adapt quickly to enemy attacks in order to defeat them. However, you can control some of the movements and fighting techniques that your allies use to assist in battle. Switch among each character in your party for full control. During battles, you also have several items at your disposal, including personally crafted magic spells or your choice of acquired armor. Within each city or town where you stop, different NPCs provide you with useful information that moves the plot forward. These areas also include merchants. When traveling to a merchant, you can use Gald money to purchase new items and equipment that will assist your characters on their journey. If you're a fan of previous "Tales" games and own a PSP, don't hesitate to get a hold of the PSP version of "Tales of Eternia."