Dateline: July 24, 2004

11:35 PM

Location: My living room

I apologize that it's taken so long, but once I started this game, I had to finish it. Tales of Symphonia is the newest release in the Tales series of games and the first release in America. You play as Lloyd Irving, a dull-witted but good-hearted teenager in the remote village of Iselia in the world of Sylvarant. You start out your journey helping the Chosen of Mana (who happens to be your best friend) regenerate the world, but it quickly becomes a quest to save yourself, your friends, and your world.

The game is of decent length. I clocked my completion time at just over 45 hrs. although I didn't do nearly all the sidequests and minigames. Graphically, it looks beautiful, with the characters being 3D on a 2D background. They are cell-shaded, giving them a cartoon-like look without it looking stupid. As far as sound goes, the ambient sounds are well done but the real gem is the voice acting. All of the voice actors do an outstanding job bringing the characters to life and making you feel for them.

The gameplay is really fun, but it definitely takes some getting used to. The game uses what it calls a "linear motion combat system" which means the battles are in 3D and you are on a line with the monster you are fighting. You can run back and forth forth on the screen, using items and what not. The other party members are controlled by the A.I., although if you have 3 friends, you can all control a character in the battle.

The A.I. in this game deserves special mention, because I have never seen anything this deep in a game before. You have dozens of options for movement, spell casting and so on. It's not as good as your 3 best buddies playing the game with you, but it's close.

All in all, I give this game 5 starts, 2 thumbs up, and a 10/10. If you've been waiting for some RPG love for the Gamecube, your wait is over!

- By Agent Sith - July 24, 2004