N-Philes

Tales of Symphonia

Posted by Christian.

Let me start by saying that I am not the biggest RPG fan. Well, anymore at least. I've always loved 2D RPG's such as Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, and Legend of the Seven Stars. However, when the transition to 3D came around, I never truly enjoyed any of the RPG's—not even the beloved Final Fantasy line. When Tales of Symphonia was announced, I wasn't extremely excited like many RPG-starved Nintendo fans. However, I began reading more and more about it, and for some reason, I became interested in this RPG.

Tales of Symphonia is fun. There is no denying that. Packed under the two discs in the case is eighty hours of gameplay and from the minute you pick up Tales of Symphonia, you feel yourself starting to be sucked into it. For non-RPG fans, there may be a small learning curve, but if you stick with the game, you'll eventually come to understand everything, and grow to love the battle system—the game's best feature. First off, there are no random battles, so you will not be just walking along, and out of nowhere have been sucked in a battle during exploration. While some may argue, that random battles help them level up appropriately, I have not found it to be a problem at all because, I hardly ever want to avoid a battle! The battles are extremely fun in this game, and I think that Zelda fans will love them for sure.

Battles work as follows: When you fall into a battle, you will see four characters of your party ready to fight with their weapons. Using the R button, the character under your control (usually Lloyd) can target which enemy he wants to fight, and you will fight him like you would in a fighting game. A is attack, X is dodge, and B allows you to do special moves. You learn many new techniques in the game, which you program to the joysticks on your controller. For example, if you learn "Tempest" and in the menu, you program it to ‘up' on the control stick. During battle, if you press B while holding up, you will perform Tempest. It is truly awesome. And the fun does not end there. You can also select different programmed strategies with the control pad, perform U-Attacks (Team attacks) and also perform magic spells the same way you perform techniques. The Battle system will most definitely be remembered because it is very fun, and never gets boring. Also, Namco fixed it up so that with some extra controller, you can also have four-player cooperative battle. Nice, no?

Another element that truly stands out is the unique graphics. The game is eye candy, and it is truly fun to look at. However, all critics will agree on this – Namco could have certainly spent more time on the overworld. It truly is not acceptable for this generation of consoles, and the quality is less than that of Ocarina of Time's Hyrule Field. But it does not take away too much from the game, or even its prettiness, as the rest of it is lovely to look at. Another dated feature of the game is the puzzles. While some of them are awesome, many feel very tedious and dated.

One of the biggest elements of any RPG is the story. When you first put in the disc, the story hits you in the face immediately. The story isn't anything out of the ordinary. Not to say that it isn't interesting—it most certainly is. It is filled with realistic elements and fantasy elements, and there are definitely a lot of plot twists that will make your jaw drop. However, the fact is that Namco didn't have a new approach to the storyline. If you are an RPG fan, you will know from the start that the story isn't going to be too different from one found in an RPG, such as Final Fantasy. However, I am pretty sure that most anybody will be sucked in by the story as it is a great one. Especially with it's great character development. You learn so much about the characters, and grow to know them through the many cut scenes, and optional skits that can be seen when told to press the Z button.

Tales of Symphonia is the first traditional RPG developed for the Gamecube, and let me say that it is a wonderful one. It introduces a unique battle system into a traditional RPG, creating a new style of game that even Non-RPG fans will love. You will find yourself exploring the land, battling for fun, and always discovering cool secrets—like recipes for your cookbook, or a fun new mini game. I would recommend that every Gamecube owner buy this game. And if you are still hesitating, at least give it a rent.

This game gets an N-Philes score of A.

This game, while not perfect, will even attract and hold non-RPG fans with its unique battle system, and interesting story. The game is a great, interesting, and fun experience that is definitely deserving of an A.

Posted in: Reviews

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