Tales of Symphonia

When I first saw this game I wasn't too excited about it, then one day I found it used at Geeks for a cheap price, so I decided to buy it. Money well spent!

Controls/Gameplay:
To start things of the controls are very easy to get used to even an idiot like me got used to the button mashing pretty quick, so controls isn't that big of an issue here. The gameplay is fun, with a great empasis on action. You'll find yourself hacking away at an opponent one second and blocking to save your arse the next.

Graphics:
The bright, beautiful cell-shading graphics complement the animish theme very well. The facial expressions are quite detailed and the special attacks are just breathtaking! (Trust me on this!)

Storyline:
You play as a 17 year old named LLyod Irving and his quest to accompany the chosen and long time friend Collete Brunel so she can regenerate her world of Sylverant. I won't say anymore, though the story maybe a tad cliche' and predictable it's chock full of plot twist (There are SO many) and very memorable and likable characters (A metrosexual girl nut, a hottie summoner, a kung-fu, prisoner, and many others.) to keep the player glued to their Gamecube for 60+ hours (It's a long 2 disks) till the very end! However I was disappointed with the ending, who knows you might like the ending, but I didn't too much. But enough about that, the storyline is also supplemented by little scenes called "skits" which can be activated by pressing the "Z" button. Some ofthese skits are interesting, and sometimes entertaining. The game's story is also slightly affected by your characrer relationships with other characters. Some scenes can either turn out as a great friendship, or a heart-warming love story.(Some of these scenes are actually quite cute).

Other Factors:
The music is good, not excellent. The voice acting is superb, with seasoned professionals like Scott Menville (Teen Titans, Shadow of Rome) and Jennifer Hale (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction). The replay value is somewhat good. You might find yourself playing multiple time to see the various different talking scenes by being friends with different characters.

Conclusion: