Tales of Symphonia is easily the highlight of the Gamecube's limited RPG genre games. A sweeping epic that can last gamers anywhere from 50 to 80 hours, it is a tale of redemption, revival, betrayal, and the belief that all life is precious.

Gameplay: A

Tales of Symphonia uses a unique battle system somewhat akin to the Grandia series of games. Battle is completely real time and in 3-D(although you only move in a 2d plane upon picking your current target). Combat is also very fast paced with an emphasis on position, timing, and combos. The result is, while rpg in nature, combat can feel very much like a simplified fighting game somewhat akin to Super Smash Bros.

This style of combat, being unique as it is, does require a bit of time to adjust to(especially the more advanced aspects of it). However, once in tune with the system, combat can feel very rewarding and become surprisingly complex as your abilities progress. That said, fans of the turn based/strategy focused rpg combat may find the pace a bit too fast and never feel truly comfortable with the system.

As an added bonus, up to 3 additional friends can take control of your other party members while in combat. Giving the game a very secret of mana type feel, and making combat itself much more strategic. However, additional players will only be in control during the combat portions of the game, and there are camera issues when players start spreading apart during battle. Still, if you can find a dedicated partner for your journey, or just have some friends watching you play here and there, it is a nice bonus feature.

It is also worth noting that there are no random battles in the game. Some fights may be forced, but enemy encounters are visable when exploring and can be avoided in most cases. Upon defeat enemies will respawn if you leave the screen then return to it.

Graphics: A-

Tales of Symphonia uses a wonderful anime style design for the game. Characters are wonderfully drawn and each dungeon or town is littered with colorful details. A select few of the more "intense" cutscenes are also done in Anime FMV and look spectacular. However, these are few and far between as most scenes are done using in game scripting(although these are excellently done as well).

Where Tales disapoints graphically, however, is in the overworld environments. The overworld, while extremely large, is rendered in playstation era graphics and enemy encounters appear as ugly black blob like creatures on the screen. These flaws somewhat vanish later in the game as faster forms of travel come into play and the overworld becomes more of a vast hub than a place to be traveled. But, for much of the early game you will find yourself trodding the overworld quite a lot, making the graphics and somewhat awkward camera angles flaws painfully obvious.

Audio: A+

The music in Tales of Symphonia is orchestral in nature(with some rockish pieces) and extremely well done. Each area has it's own unique musical piece that adds to the environment, and some songs such as the opening music, end game music, and others are moving at times.

Likewise, all the major characters in game have voice actors and spoken dialog is relatively common in the game. This adds an extra level of immersion to the game. That said, in some cases the voice audio is a bit noticably compressed, and the emotional responses of the character's voice is a mixed bag. At times, the actors do an exceptional job of capturing the moment, other times, however, they can feel a bit flat or the emotion in their voice out of place. However, if you decide you dislike the voice acting in the game, Namco provides a convenient option to turn it off.

Story: A

To say the story in Tales of Symphonia is epic would be an understatement. Rife with plot twists(both expected and unexpected) and extremely strong character development, you will often find yourself immersed with the story and never quite knowing for sure what will happen next. The story in and of itself is nothing totally unique(avid RPG players may notice plot elements similar to Final Fantasy X, the Mana rpg series, and Grandia II), yet the execution is exceptionally well done.

The primary focus of the story, however, is on the characters. Each major character has a surprising amount of depth, and few are truly evil or good. Instead, most characters come in realistic shades of grey. In addition to normal rpg style conversation, Symphonia also contains a seemingly endless number of optional "Metal Gear Solid codec" style character moments. Frequently throughout the game players will recieve an option to activate a "skit" by pressing a button. These skits are conversations between party members about recent events and/or areas being visited. They are also often humorous or heartfelt in nature. In almost every single case, however, they can be ignored if the player so choses, but a great deal of the story's depth can be found in these scenes.

Replay Value: A-

While not on quite the same level as, say Chrono Trigger, Symphonia offers several reasons to encourage players to play through yet another time. First, and foremost, is altered endings. Depending on certain choices made throughout the game, the end game can turn out somewhat differently(or in one specific case, drastically different).

There are also numerous sidequests to be found. So many, in fact, that it can be hard to find them all the first time around. Some sidequests can lead to alternate costumes for characters, or new items/stat bonuses. And, in one specific case, a certain sidequest can open up a large, and difficult, optional dungeon for players to challenge themselves with.

Finally, there is a new game+ option upon completing the game. By loading up a completed game save, players can start a new game with a variety of options. First is a special store you access right at the begining that lets you spend a limited number of points to do things like carry over items from the previous game, gain bonus xp, unlock certain things from the start, etc. Secondly you can set the game to a new "mania" level of difficulty that makes battles significantly more challenging.

Final score: A

Tales of Symphonia truly is an excellent and lengthy rpg. While it's heavy character focus and unique fast paced combat may turn away some rpg fans, many will come away from the game with more than a few memorable moments and the feeling you have truly completed an epic journey.

Also, at the time of the writing of this review, Tales of Symphoia can be found for as little as $20 as it is a "Player's Choice" gamecube title. At such a low price Tales is truly a bargin that any gamecube owner would be remiss in not experiencing for themselves.