Tales of Symphonia

Like others have said, I was a little suspicious of this game at first. I saw the game cover and thought that Lloyd was a Vash the Stampede rip-off. Also from

other anime-based games I think I was rightly leery. But indeed, this game is AMAZING! There are the typical RPG clichés but there is nothing original these days anyhow. There are enough plot twists to make you refuse to put the

controller down and shut the system off. The characters are dynamic, graphics and sound are spectacular. If you're not convinced, rent it and you'll be

addicted.

The gameplay is so fun and makes sure it won't leave disappointed even after you've played through the game once. It's really fun to perfect your attacks and combos. The magic spells look great and simple even if it's short termed. Most of the battles end quick so you don't have to wonder how long when the battles' gonna be over. It feels like you're rewarded for playing the game most of the time. but I think the beginning gets boring after the first play through. But in the later game, it gets fun once again.

The characters look great even though their clothing is a little odd. There are mixed opinions about the characters but they are likable to me. The story isn't exactly what you call original but I like the characters so much, I don't care if the story is bad or not. Although some characters don't have a big enough role.

This game has the best gameplay i've ever experienced so far and my first tales game ever.

Namco hit the jackpot with this one. An amazing detailed storyline combined with an incredibly addictive (You'll WANT to fight monsters) battle system and some great RPG elements make this game a joy to play over and over again. 8 Playable characters give this game amazing re-play value, since you'll want to play as all your characters and learn all their individual techniques. You can even have a friend join in during battle fights, taking direct control over a character's movements. The hand-drawn anime cut-scenes are amazing. It really adds to the epic tale that this game is. The voice acting is also amazing. You can tell the actors really put an amazing effort into the game. It feels very realistic, from listening. I have wasted countless hours on this game, and it was worth it. My favorite game on the Gamecube by far.

Other than the Baten Kaitos series, this is about the only really good rpg on the gamecube system. Well Skies of Arcadia was good as well, but it was not originally designed for gamecube. This game features a group of friends and fighters helping another one of their friends complete a pilgrimage that once complete will lead her to becoming an angel and lead the world in which they live in out of a down period and into a new age of prosperity. Sounds a bit like Final Fantasy X, eh? Well it does follow the usual rpg formula for the most part as there are a couple of twists here and there, though nothing to shocking what makes this one fun are the characters and the comedy that this and all the Tales series have within them. They also share the same combat system, a real time super fast battle, while it may be fun makes me at least tend to use only one of the characters all the time rather than switching around to others. You just get used to their moves and you have a hard time switching and assigning moves and such. So for an epic journey that spans two worlds and is a lot of fun, though not the most original, this game is worth checking out.

15 years later and I still love this game. And I probably still will be loving it for the next 15 years.

I keep Tales of Symphonia very dear and near to my heart. Probably nostalgia plays a big role, but there is just something very touching about the story, it leaves you thinking about your own ideals and about what really is right or wrong. I think I could play this game 100 times, it will never get boring.

It's really a classic.

Oh yeah and Kratos is amazing