Tales of Symphonia

[Chaos_BF1942]

Have anyone here played Tales of Symphonia? I have and love it ^_^

It is the latest game in Namco's Tales series on the Gamecube (coming out on the PS2). It has a real time battle-system, you take control of one character and the AI (or your friends) control the other 3 characters.

The story is about a 17 year old boy named Lloyd Irving, who sets out with Colette Brunel (who is 'The Chosen'), and afew other people on a journey to regenerate the world of Sylvarant, pretty much the normal story for a RPG ^_^;;.

 

[Silverflame]

I can't find it anywhere. All sold out.

And it is for the most part, Gamecube exclusive. The PS2 version is only rumored, and if true it will be Japan-only.

 

[Saga of Gemini]

Its sold out?...damn my mom is in a trip to the US..and it was the first thing on my wishlist......hope she finds it.

 

[Chaos_BF1942]

And it is for the most part, Gamecube exclusive. The PS2 version is only rumored, and if true it will be Japan-only.

Oh ok, heard wrong ^_^;;.


Wow, it all sold out. Good thing I pre-ordered it (got a cool art book with it too)

 

[Dabomb18359]

I heard it was 80 hours of gameplay and is it that fun? What exactly is it like different than other RPGs.

 

[Saga of Gemini]

I heard it was 80 hours of gameplay and is it that fun? What exactly is it like different than other RPGs.

yup it says so in the back of the box...heheh I havent finished it yet....because Im also playing megaman aniversary collection.

 

[Dabomb18359]

O did you buy those games together? At EB Games you get $15 off if you buy 2 certain games, and those are two of the 4 (the others were batman and something else)

 

[Silverflame]

FINALLY! After four long weeks of searching, I have found Tales of Symphonia. I haven't played very much, but it looks to be a really great game.

My friend and I had some struggles and confusion over how to get the multiplayer to work, as it wasn't in the little instruction book anywhere. But it was fun when we finally did get it to work. I still don't understand most of the battle system though, I suppose that will come with time.

 

[Dabomb18359]

well tell us again is it fun!!!?

 

[Silverflame]

I've barely even played half and hour on the game, how can I make a judgment? Ask me when I'm about 20 hours in, because that's when most people say the story really picks up. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Dabomb18359]

Well that' skinda what I meant whenu start to actually Play. But what are the controls like. I know it's like 2 discs, so are there bonus features or just gameplay the whole time?

 

[Silverflame]

After finally arriving at what I believe most people refer to as the twenty hour mark (I have just entered <minor spoilers> Tethe'alla </spoilers>), I will guess I'll write some of my impressions from the game so far.

I'll start with graphics. For the most part, the cel-shaded anime look is absolutely beautiful, the animation in particular. I have not seen any of the anime cinematics yet (I heard they do not appear until the 40 hour mark or so), but the graphics have been pretty good so far. The big gripe I have is the overworld. The blurry overworld doesn't bother me much, but the fact that the enemies are not only blobs, but mere polygons (as seen in the poor fading effects) kind of annoys me, especially when the spells and cities look so nice.

Battling is fun. Very fun. Button-mashing works at first at getting used to the game, but does squat against a boss. The battle system reminds me a lot of SSBM. It took me a long while to understand most of the more advanced strategies, and now the only thing I don't completely grasp is the S and T modes. I guess I'll figure that one out eventually. Another good thing about the battles is that they're purely optional, which makes the battles all the more fun. The downside is that it makes the difficulty curve scattered and unpredictable, since there is no real way of knowing how much experience you should have during any point of the game.

Dungeons could be a bit better, but I'm only at the beginning so I can't completely judge. Way too many crate-pushing puzzles though. The cities and towns are very detailed in terms of looks, but they feel a bit small.

Voice acting I have mixed feelings about. No one sounds terrible, nor is anyone very annoying (ie Tidus from FFX), but a lot of the times the voices don't really fit. In the longer conversations, they fit quite well, but the shorter ones, particularly the victory screen, the voices feel very awkward.

Music is solid, but not extremely catchy or melodic. I'm not too concerned about it, though, because I heard the composer spent a lot more effort in the upcoming Baten Kaitos than Tales of Symphonia.

As for the story, I must say that giant plot twist took me by suprise. Conspiracies everywhere. Overall, my experience with this game has been really great so far. Even the multi-player fit pretty well. And those are my current impressions of the game.

 

[Dabomb18359]

What other game is it best comparable to. Sounds kinda like Zelda Games, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and other RPGs put together. But I heard that the actions you do can change like the plot and outcome of the game. Have you noticed any of that so far? And would you recommend this game to RPG-likers like me?

 

[Silverflame]

What other game is it best comparable to. Sounds kinda like Zelda Games, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and other RPGs put together. But I heard that the actions you do can change like the plot and outcome of the game. Have you noticed any of that so far? And would you recommend this game to RPG-likers like me?

You like RPG's and have a Gamecube, yet don't have Tales of Symphonia? What are you waiting for? Go and get this game NOW. I seriously doubt you'll regret it.

While you're at it, try and pick up a copy of Skies of Arcadia: Legends. It should be $20 at most stores, and has about 50 hours of gameplay. Dated graphics, slow battle system, and generic storyline, but there's a certain charm in the game that most people love, including me. Wonderful setting, great sense of exploration, amazing detail in towns despite the dated graphics, and a soundtrack to die for. At $20, it is a definite must-buy.

Why do I mention Skies of Arcadia? Because that and Tales of Symphonia are the two big RPG's on the Gamecube at the moment. Both start out slow, yet last a long while. I doubt you will regret investing in both of these games.

 

[Dabomb18359]

You like RPG's and have a Gamecube, yet don't have Tales of Symphonia? What are you waiting for? Go and get this game NOW. I seriously doubt you'll regret it.

While you're at it, try and pick up a copy of Skies of Arcadia: Legends. It should be $20 at most stores, and has about 50 hours of gameplay. Dated graphics, slow battle system, and generic storyline, but there's a certain charm in the game that most people love, including me. Wonderful setting, great sense of exploration, amazing detail in towns despite the dated graphics, and a soundtrack to die for. At $20, it is a definite must-buy.

Why do I mention Skies of Arcadia? Because that and Tales of Symphonia are the two big RPG's on the Gamecube at the moment. Both start out slow, yet last a long while. I doubt you will regret investing in both of these games.

Yea man I don't doubt that they are GREAT games, but money and time are always factors. I am saving up for a laptop so you know a $50 might not cut it cuz i want enuf for holiday season. $20 might, but i want LONG games like Ocarina of time and i assume Tales of Smyphonia. The thing is also I don't have enough time always. My friends and I aren't constantly at each other's houses to play together. We had the same connection with Crystal Chronicles but it just was a game that didn't last... same thing... followed by same thing... too predictable and overall a time-waster. I'm sure they rock, but which is better and is Tales of Symphonia worth $30 more?