LogFAQs > #968726671

Abyss > Berseria > Xillia 2 > Graces > etc feels about right

The swinging of opinion on Vesperia once everyone replayed it isn't too hard to explain, I think. Vesperia is literally a bridge between the old Symphonia/Abyss style of gameplay and the craziness of Xillia onwards, and it happens as the game goes on. The combat starts extremely simple and then very, very slowly unfolds as the game progresses into legit one of the best combat systems the series has ever had. The issue is it takes dozens of hours for this to happen, so if you've played it before - and especially if you've played all the stuff that came after it - those first 30-40 hours feel miserable, and Vesperia's story doesn't have the strength of Abyss to keep it afloat.