Post by bladeofky on Jul 21, 2004 23:32:46 GMT -5
I'm sure you've all seen the "ToS ROCKS GO BUY IT NOW" messages. Well, I've come across teh novel idea to give actualy reasons to why you should (and you should). Anyways, here goes. The scale is out of 10 but some of the numbers may be over because the game is good in all areas, though some are better than others.
Story: 8.5/10
Keep in mind that I'm only near the beginning of Disc 2 (yes it is two Gamecube discs) so I don't know the whole story yet. So far, throughout disc one, the story was very, well, shortsighted. It didn't really extend very far from "Ok, go do this this and this" and it took many detours. However, somewhere near the middle of the first disc there is a huge plot twist that leaves you wondering who your real friends are. I just got past a second enormous plot twist which really confuses you because unlike many games, where the bad guy is just psycho and wants to randomly destroy the world, the big baddie in this game has an actually personality and logical reasons for doing what he does. It makes you question who is doing the right thing, who you can trust, and whether you've been mislead all along. Anyways, an excellently weaved story so far. The only reason the score is slightly lower is due to the many detours it takes along the way and the slow delivery of the story.
Characters: 10/10
This game has many unique characters that each have their own distinct personality, thought patterns, and speaking styles. The game does an excellent job of making the characters "come alive" and setting each apart from the other. Points go to originality and distinctness. First off, originality. I guarantee that this is about the only game where you'll see a 12 year old pint sized girl with pink hair weilding an axe twice her size and having the highest attack power out of anybody. Secondly, distinctness. If you really wanted to, you could take just about every character and describe them with a single word. For example, Collette would "innocence." The designers did an excellent job at making each character their own person.
Character development: 11/10
This is one of two places where the game REALLY shines. What it lacks in story, it makes up in character development. Through the help of Z-skits (conversations between characters that you can see by hitting the Z button) you can see how the characters grow and mature as times and events pass. Even only 5 hours into the game, you can see Lloyd and Genis begin to mature. By the time you get to where I am (about 32 hours in) every character is almost a completely different person from who they were at the beginning of the game. I've seen no other game (outside the Tales series) that has this much character development (and I say this completely unbiased).
Gameplay: 11/10
This would be the second place where the game excels. Unlike many traditional (boring) RPGs which use the turn based system of fighting, Tales of Symphonia uses the unique Multiple Linear Motion Battle System. Basically, instead of simply selecting the Attack option on a menu, you actually control the character in a real time battle using the joystick to control movement, the A button to attack, and the B button (combined with a directional button) to use skills. Think of it sorta like a fighting game except much faster but with a lesser degree of control. When the story gets slow and mundane, this is what're keep you going. The skills you learn are numerous and look EXTREMELY cool. You really can't feel how fun this battle system is until you try it for yourself.
Replay value: N/A
I can't really say because I haven't beaten the game yet and I don't use an FAQ so I don't know how many extras there are, but based on other Tales games I've played, you usually don't really feel like playing it again after you've beaten it. But then, that's the way most RPGs are.
Music: 9/10
The music is pretty good and fits the scenario adequetly, but compared to other Tales games, I was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, the music's still excellent, but I didn't find as many memorable tracks as I did in previous Tales games. But since pretyt much nobody else here has played Tales and can't referrence with it, I'll just say that there are quite a few memorable tracks (meaning they're excellent) and the rest just sorta fit in (meaning they're mediocre/good/not so crappy that you can't stand it). Fighting of the Spirit is one of the cooler tracks there (it was originally from Tales of Phantasia but was remixed for Symphonia. Here's a MIDI version: www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/gamecube/fots.mid ).
Graphics: 10/10
Tales of Symphonia has a very unique look to it. It doesn't try to make everything look realistic, nor does it go to extreme cel shading like Wind Waker. The graphics have more of a hand-drawn feel to them. The colors are all very vibrant and as a whole, the settings are all what you would call "picturesque." The battles, however, have some awesome spell effects and the techiniques and animations look beautiful.
Overall: 10/10
If you've never played a Tales game before in your life, I highly recommend you pick this game up. Few games have stories so deep and intricately weaved and Symphonia is unrivaled in terms of character development (except possibly by other games of the Tales series). The battle system is something you have to experience fully in order to appreciate. Anyways, the game is in a whole other level than many RPGs and ranks up there with the games like FFIX and is only slightly below FFVII and Chrono Trigger level.
Go find yourself a more comprehensive review if you don't like mine. I left a lot of stuff out cause I didn't remember to put it in and I'm too lazy to fix it now.
Story: 8.5/10
Keep in mind that I'm only near the beginning of Disc 2 (yes it is two Gamecube discs) so I don't know the whole story yet. So far, throughout disc one, the story was very, well, shortsighted. It didn't really extend very far from "Ok, go do this this and this" and it took many detours. However, somewhere near the middle of the first disc there is a huge plot twist that leaves you wondering who your real friends are. I just got past a second enormous plot twist which really confuses you because unlike many games, where the bad guy is just psycho and wants to randomly destroy the world, the big baddie in this game has an actually personality and logical reasons for doing what he does. It makes you question who is doing the right thing, who you can trust, and whether you've been mislead all along. Anyways, an excellently weaved story so far. The only reason the score is slightly lower is due to the many detours it takes along the way and the slow delivery of the story.
Characters: 10/10
This game has many unique characters that each have their own distinct personality, thought patterns, and speaking styles. The game does an excellent job of making the characters "come alive" and setting each apart from the other. Points go to originality and distinctness. First off, originality. I guarantee that this is about the only game where you'll see a 12 year old pint sized girl with pink hair weilding an axe twice her size and having the highest attack power out of anybody. Secondly, distinctness. If you really wanted to, you could take just about every character and describe them with a single word. For example, Collette would "innocence." The designers did an excellent job at making each character their own person.
Character development: 11/10
This is one of two places where the game REALLY shines. What it lacks in story, it makes up in character development. Through the help of Z-skits (conversations between characters that you can see by hitting the Z button) you can see how the characters grow and mature as times and events pass. Even only 5 hours into the game, you can see Lloyd and Genis begin to mature. By the time you get to where I am (about 32 hours in) every character is almost a completely different person from who they were at the beginning of the game. I've seen no other game (outside the Tales series) that has this much character development (and I say this completely unbiased).
Gameplay: 11/10
This would be the second place where the game excels. Unlike many traditional (boring) RPGs which use the turn based system of fighting, Tales of Symphonia uses the unique Multiple Linear Motion Battle System. Basically, instead of simply selecting the Attack option on a menu, you actually control the character in a real time battle using the joystick to control movement, the A button to attack, and the B button (combined with a directional button) to use skills. Think of it sorta like a fighting game except much faster but with a lesser degree of control. When the story gets slow and mundane, this is what're keep you going. The skills you learn are numerous and look EXTREMELY cool. You really can't feel how fun this battle system is until you try it for yourself.
Replay value: N/A
I can't really say because I haven't beaten the game yet and I don't use an FAQ so I don't know how many extras there are, but based on other Tales games I've played, you usually don't really feel like playing it again after you've beaten it. But then, that's the way most RPGs are.
Music: 9/10
The music is pretty good and fits the scenario adequetly, but compared to other Tales games, I was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, the music's still excellent, but I didn't find as many memorable tracks as I did in previous Tales games. But since pretyt much nobody else here has played Tales and can't referrence with it, I'll just say that there are quite a few memorable tracks (meaning they're excellent) and the rest just sorta fit in (meaning they're mediocre/good/not so crappy that you can't stand it). Fighting of the Spirit is one of the cooler tracks there (it was originally from Tales of Phantasia but was remixed for Symphonia. Here's a MIDI version: www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/gamecube/fots.mid ).
Graphics: 10/10
Tales of Symphonia has a very unique look to it. It doesn't try to make everything look realistic, nor does it go to extreme cel shading like Wind Waker. The graphics have more of a hand-drawn feel to them. The colors are all very vibrant and as a whole, the settings are all what you would call "picturesque." The battles, however, have some awesome spell effects and the techiniques and animations look beautiful.
Overall: 10/10
If you've never played a Tales game before in your life, I highly recommend you pick this game up. Few games have stories so deep and intricately weaved and Symphonia is unrivaled in terms of character development (except possibly by other games of the Tales series). The battle system is something you have to experience fully in order to appreciate. Anyways, the game is in a whole other level than many RPGs and ranks up there with the games like FFIX and is only slightly below FFVII and Chrono Trigger level.
Go find yourself a more comprehensive review if you don't like mine. I left a lot of stuff out cause I didn't remember to put it in and I'm too lazy to fix it now.