Henry Spencer wrote: Looks like I'll be maining as Alvin, then. Really like his design and combos. This'll be my first 3D Tales game, tell me though, is any of the other ones in 3D worth playing (ones without too much animu, preferably).
Of course liking the series as much as I do, the twitch reaction would be to say "oh yeah, they're all worth playing," but taking your tastes into account, I can't actually say that's the case.
The problem is, I know you hate the cheesy anime stuff, and yet that's pretty much a hallmark of the series overall. You did say you were enjoying Eternia before though, so maybe you're a little more open to it then I had thought.
Either way, probably the most worthwhile of the 3D ones I've played is Tales of the Abyss (either for the PS2 or the 3DS; they're the same game overall). It's got a cool overall story, the protagonist goes through a pretty legitimate character arc, the battle system is great, and except for a few cases, it isn't all too cutesy. I'd imagine if you enjoyed Eternia, this one shouldn't come off as being all too offensive.
Of course I haven't played through Vesperia (which seems to be one of the more popular entries in the series) so I can't comment too much on that yet, except to say that it looks like it has a pretty similar vibe to Abyss, so it might also be one of the more bearable ones.
