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ToS? Best so far...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This was the first Tales game I played. And so far, it's the best. The gameplay is NOT hack-and-slash, thank god, and the plot has a bit of depth to it that keeps you interested.

ToS gives you a lot of freedom, from traveling in the huge world map and how you respond to your allies. There's definitely humor that'll make you smile (I dunno about actually "laughing") in there and you actually hear the voices often, unlike Tales of Legendia.

The graphics aren't gorgeous Final Fantasy style, as you're usually chibi style (the cut scenes are pretty cool though), but you'll live. A proper gamer should know graphics aren't everything.

The actual lenght of the game is long but not as long as Tales of Legendia (if you add the charater quests and all that). Replay value is very high and I seriously recommend this game for the gamecube. One of the only good RPGs in the gamecube, actually.

Pros:
-lenghty
-beautiful music
-challenging bosses
-good plot
-great gameplay
-high replay value

Cons:
-can sometimes become tedious and irritating
-puzzles can be too easy to solve
-graphics aren't that great

The pros outnumber the cons as you can see. My only dissapointment is that it wasn't released to the US in the PS2 version. I really wanted in with all the new cutscenes etc. My favorite characters are probably Luke, Genus, and Sheena. They're the funniest and I find them rather likeable. Collete, on the other hand, rather irritates me with her sugary sweet personality (makes everyone else feel like demons, honestly), and her too clumsy nature. I feel like I'm ranting, so I'll end this review now. Just make sure to buy this game, 'kay? You won't regret it.

ToS Shall Expel You Of Your Flaws!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is the game that will make you regret not buying a GameCube (Unless you live in Japan where there is also a PS2 version.) This game has a deep storyline, but isn't afraid to inject moments of side-splitting humor. It starts out rather slow (Chosen one Collette goes out to ressurect the world with the help of friends Lloyd(the main character) and Genis, and the mysterious swordsman Kratos. But, about a third of the way into the story, the plot thickens with betrayal, a second world, and a much more involved plan on the part of the antagonists.

Gameplay is mostly standard RPG flair (dungeons filled with puzzles, city exploration, shops and inns) except for the battles. Turn-based they are not. ToS employs a real-time battle system similar to an action game. You can take control of any one of 8 characters (there are 9 playable, but you must choose between two of them). As many as four party members fight at once, any number of them can be controlled by a player. Simple button-mashing will defeat most "grunt" enemies, but against bosses you will want to use advanced battle techniques. The battle system allows you to link together attacks (sometimes from CPU-controlled allies) to rack up large combos and tons of damage. Random battles can be avoided to some degree since overworld monsters appear as black blobs (this is one of the weaknesses of the graphics, though). Some pursue you though and are near-impossible to avoid.

The story can be further stretched out by embarking on sidequests that further explain the backstory of the characters. It should be noted that the game's toughest boss is part of a sidequest and not the final boss.

Aside from the aforementioned black blobs that represent enemy parties, the graphics are stunning. Beautifully designed backgrounds go perfectly with the wonderful cel-shaded anime inspired character desgins of Kousuke Fujishima (In fact, this game was indirectly responsible for getting me hooked on the Ah My Goddess anime series, another Fujishima work). It all adds up to a beautiful game that truly stands out. The anime cutscents are well done, but a bit too few and far between. The sound is also worthy of note. The voice actors do an excellent job and the music is usually set well to the mood and environment of the current setting.

Tales Of Symphonia is an excellent game, especially considering the GameCube's limited library. Since it's now a Player's Choice Game with a lower price, it's a definite must-buy game.

Loads of fun but consider all of the ineffective cliches!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

They sacrificed much of the quality of the game for the sake of making it fun. The sad thing is, they didn't have to! They could've done both if they had just put a little more effort into it! While drooling over the fun combat system and the neat cell-shaded graphics (and these do grow on you) I still wasn't able to stop myself from detecting dozens of places in storyline and character development that could have been so much better if they had just highlighted it a little bit! It still would have been cliched but at least it would have been the good kind - the kind that fulfills all of the requirements a good story needs. Instead, we get this sort of there sort of not thing we all hate to love and love to hate.

The bottom line: The storyline, while passable most of the time and enjoyable some of the time, lapses at too many points (sadly this is a spoiler free review or else I would give you an example). The characters, while entertaining and sometimes heartwarming, don't have much in the way of intriuging your mind (plus they sometimes become rather flat, although a few of the voice actors really come through, especially Raine's). Also: The laws of logic catch up on you and force you to consider: "Why are my enemies just standing there after being told by their bosses to seize my party while my main characters talk about what their going to do next?" You can start up the rationalization processes "It's just a fantasy game" but that won't always work and besides: People like to have their skepticism suspended when they are trying to enjoy a fictional story. They don't want to rationalize it has holes because it is "just" a game. This defeats part of the original purpose of the game!

That said, I really liked this game (especially you Raine) and think anybody who likes RPGs will find something to enjoy out of it (probably the gameplay). I myself was able to get into the plot enough to find the story enjoyable, but it is no masterpiece like FF6 and such.

PROS:

Good gameplay.
Good graphics (if you are predjuiced against cell-shaded - like I said, it usually grows on you)
Passable, sometimes good, storyline
Passable, sometimes good, characters
Pretty good synthesized music (Mithos's Theme = Catchy)

CONS:

Lackluster storyline at many points
Lackluster characters at a good many points
Lack of orchestrated music arguably makes it less climatic
Plot falls apart in some instances and is very roughly patched back together

This is a great game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This really is a awsome game! The best i have played in... in... well it's the best game i have ever played! It has a really nice picture and the fighting is awsome! You can rent it at most blockbusters. It is a lot of game time for your money 80 hours!!! If you play it through the second time like you are supposed to. Overall this is a pretty awsowsome game. You should give it a whirll no doubt. you might want to be Lloyd Kratos (my favorit ) leaves the game about halfway though. Hope My review helps.

Fantabulous!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have never written a review, but felt I needed to for this game. I am a 40 year old RPG die hard whose has played and loved all Final Fantasy games. I loved this game! If you love RPGs this is the one to play!

Magnanimous!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was informed about this game by my friend, a game enthusiast. He said this was a great game, so I bought it. Needless to say, this game not only met, but also exceeded my expectations.

1) GAMEPLAY - 5/5 - The intuitive battle system, though not completely original, is a large factor in this game. I was never an RPG fan (in fact, the first RPG I ever bought was Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga), but this game served as a catalyst for future RPG buys. This game will always be at the top of my list; it is arguably the best third-party exclusive [USA] title available on the GameCube. I'm gonna buy Baten Kaitos, Namco's next exclusive GCN title.

2) GRAPHICS - 5/5 - Though I wasn't too enamored by those odd-looking monster avatars on the world map screen, the graphics in this game were astounding. I loved The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (in fact, I have all the Zelda titles on the GCN), and I admired its use of cel-shading. My opinion is not any different with this game.

3) MUSIC - 5/5 - I can honestly call myself an audiophile. I love video game soundtracks!! This game's music is up there with Zelda, Perfect Dark, Halo, and Final Fantasy. It's not perfect, but it gives the game the foreshadowing aura it needs. Still, many of the tracks are high-quality composition, which makes this game's soundtrack highly listenable (for lack of a better word).

4) GENERAL AUDIO - 4.8/5 - The game's sounds were fitting to the game. Though not perfect (for example, when Lord Forcystus falls into the pit with an unemotional, "Aaaaah."), it does a very good job of incorporating emotion into this game, as that is what this game is good at. Of course, like any game, you have some generic sounds ("Bliiiiing!!"), but it does not take a large toll on the game's sound.

5) STORY - 6/5 - Yes, I gave it a 6. Why, you ask? It simply has the most plot twists that I have ever seen in a video game, and they don't take away from the story!! Obviously, the latter is the most important. The story is the most important element in a game.

Overall - 5/5 - BUY this game!! No rent!!

Definetely worth it

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 23, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The box promises 80 hours of gameplay, but I finished the game in 36 without any sort of guide. The game and plot take some time to get into, but once you progress you may find yourself unable to stop playing. It feels mostly like fantasy, but there are sci fi elements too. The battle system works nicely because it can be as complicated or as simple as you want it to. The voice acting is pretty good, and the only complaint I have with the plot is that you seem to do far too much Collette saving. The puzzles and dungeons lack the complexity of, say, Zelda, but you encounter more of them which balances your time out. The characters have a realistic feel to them, and no one is overly annoying or cliched. I would specifically reccommend this game to anyone who enjoys fantasy or RPG games, and anyone who likes the work of Kosuke Fujishima or manga in general. (Kosuke Fujishima is the artist behind the characters and anime cutscenes in ToS.) An all around worthwhile game that I would reccommend to basically any competent gamer.

Great Game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have to say this is a GREAT game! Some of the voice acting is a little weird, but other than that it's good. You can choose who to run around as and who to fight with. You, as Lloyd, can bulid a relationship with one of the charaters and close to the ending of the game you'll have special cutscenes with them. So that means you can choose a relationship with 7 different characters.

It is a 2 disc and it has a great storyline, you won't be wasting your money on this game. You'll spend a lot of time leveling up, getting gald to buy stuff, and going through the storyline. You can get different clothes for your characters, but you can only do it at certain times though. I was dissapointed cause if you wanted to get all the costumes for all the characters you would have to go through the game a lot. Though it was okay for me because it is just a fantastic game. I have beaten it for the 9 time, and I still love it.

There are some neat sidequests too, and little scenes with one of your people. When they're not doing the cartoonish look they have beautiful cutscenes. They also have great music too. This has to be one of the GREATEST GAMES I've ever played!!!!

This game is worth 100s of dollars its that good!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is a masterpiece. I love how the graphics are made kind of a storybook kind of look. Also the combat is intense and you can learn many special abilities. The story is great and becomes a very epic experience. The best part is something no other rpg has ever done.... 4 players at the same time in battle. I only had 1 ploblem with the game. If you are playing in multiplayer and only player 2 is alive, after every battle you have to take player 2s controller and put it in player 1s slot. Still this is a great game.

A Well developed game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

After seeing good reveiws and publicity i decided to rent this game. This is what i thought of this GC Action-RPG

I wasn't fond of the graphics, but that was the only real way they could present a game like this without making it look like final fantacy. I suppose someone must like the cell shading but I thought it was OK

The sound was good and the music wasn't too much to get excited about. I actually never really noticed the different music, it was either world map music, Battle music, or dungeon music. Nothing to get too excited about.

The gameplay is where this game starts picking up stars. It reminded me alot of playing super smash bros. without making my thumb sore. Its fun stuff running along in a 2d-3d environment, but it's not nearly as fun as having 3 others playing with you. Me and my buddies had a great time beating bosses and helping each other out, and it was even better because human beings are still significatly better than the impressive AI this game has. We took out alot of bosses. The best part is the fact that you don't have to wait, click, watch your guy do stuff, and then get killed like in traditional RPGs.

But seriously the best part of this game is the Indepth storyline. It starts out slow and really picks up speed as the game progresses. Its kinda like FF6. Nothing really happens till Kifia (I think thats how you spell his name) starts going crazy. But back to this game...I actually found myself wanting to play faster and faster just to see the plot progress. An exellent plot.

All in all the game can get repetitive with 1 person, the graphics kinda scare me, but the game pulls though in all the other aspects.

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