"Tales of Symphonia" is exactly what I would expect from Namco's "Tales Studio" (the arm that is responsible for RPG games). They bring to life a very detailed world (actually two worlds) with interesting and distinct characters. There is lots of beautiful scenery with plenty of things to do and problems (or puzzles) to fix.
One Thing I Liked:
The plot is stellar. Unlike other games in its genre, TOS will keep your guessing nearly all the way up to the end. There are at least two world and plenty of factions scattered across the two worlds which all makes a semi-realistic interaction between groups vying for control or survival. In short the "problems" are not easily fixed. Even clinging to the idealism Lloyd and Collette bring it is hard to see how someone doesn't lose. You can't tell who your allies are or even who they should be. The story will take several twists on the way flip who is working towards the common good.
I was very entertained by the above normal complex plot that in the end still makes sense. It was the major thing that kept me driven to play to find out what happens next.
One Thing I Didn't Like:
"Tales of Symphonia" is too "arcadish" for my tastes in an RPG. In fights you are expected to play a more fast paced action "hacking" game. Striking and dodging become more of a function of your reflexes than of your character's growth. It is during these fights since other characters in play are on automatic any tactics you field are more of an accident than strategy. Because of the way combat works, the game also suffers from "feature" creap. There are so many options and configurations you can spend a lot of time managing just Lloyd let alone the eight you can possibly use.
In summation:
I gave "Tales" an 8 because it is such a good looking and well built game. I just wish it was like an RPG instead of an action game.
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