The Tales of... games are less of a hobby and more of a commitment, and Tales of Xillia is no exception. Clear your schedule for this one: it requires a lot of time and energy, and it's addictive.

The anime-style game gives you a choice of two characters to play as: Jude Mathis, a medical student; or the mysterious Milla Maxwell, who is accompanied by a band of spirits. Each will have a slightly different experience in the game as they journey through the world of Rieze Maxia to reach the kingdom of Rashugal, which has been up to some dodgy dealings.

From there, it’s a long and complex tale of intrigue and a bit of politics as you try to get to the bottom of the power source that has been draining mana from the world. There’s a core group of characters that join you on your quest, each with theirown strengths, weaknesses and annoyances.

Aside from the main story, you can take on side quests just to keep things interesting, giving you the chance to get to know a bit more about Rieze Maxia.

Xillia keeps the well-known (and much appreciated) Linear Motion Battle System, which has appeared in previous Tales titles. But now you can combine the attacks of two players, which brings a new angle to the game.

Xillia isn't perfect. You get some graphical weirdness from time to time, but the game is good enough that you'll forgive it the odd flaw or two.

Once you make your way through the mammoth game, you might want to see how things could have been different if you had chosen the other character. Obviously the story will no longer be a surprise, but the impulse to find out how it played out from the other point of view means that Tales of Xillia has double the value.