Gaming Tales of Symphonia

[armana]

As for the [spoiler] giant tree theories, I think he named it Symphonia.[/spoiler]

I really enjoyed this game - it'd have to be one of my favourites on GameCube. As for my favourite characters, I'd have to say that Raine wins out overall. I hated her at the start, as I didn't see any real use for her, both battlewise and plotwise, but after about 10 hours or so into it she really grew on me. Zelos is also one of my favourites.

There were a few things that annoyed me about ToS: first and foremost, the HORRIBLE character animations in the real-time cut scenes. Holy crap did some of that stuff suck. The battle animations were superb so it's beyond me why such a half-assed job was done on the cut scenes - another reason why the lack of more anime cut scenes hurt. Also, I found some of the voice acting to be pretty average. Kratos and Colette annoyed me the most, as well as some of the random NPCs. Kratos kept reminding me of of one of my old teachers who I hated and Colette just sounded too selfish. Overall though, I thought the voice acting was pretty good, especially now that I've played Baten Kaitos and heard what terrible voice acting really is. Errghh.

Personally, I can't wait for Tales of Legendia. I wish it wasn't PS2 exclusive but, having said that, I now have another reason to buy a PS2 .

As for the whole cooking thing, I never really bothered with it either.

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]I cook a decent amount since it seems to be the most efficient way to restore TP. Though I pretty much cook the recipes that restore TP and nothing else. They're handy when I'm going through a dungeon and using a lot of techniques to take down the harder monsters fast, before they can do much damage.

I really need to play this game more. It's always a lot of fun when I pick it up and play for a few hours, but I tend to go a few days between play sessions for some reason. Even moreso now that I'm busy with school, too. ... I swear, Guild Wars might as well be a drug; it always steals my gaming time away from ToS. :hippy:[/color]

[Deranged Kikyo]

oooh glad i have a ps2 for tales of legendia ^_^ anyone ever play the tales of phantasia for teh SNES? they made an anime OVA about it 0_0 which is cool, but back on topic:

Yeah, the voice acting was like shmuck, but tolerable... sort of? lol I find the changes in their names from japanese to english HILARIOUS:

Refill= raine [i guess they needed it to sound more mystikal XD]
genius=genis [genius was too obvious?]
Shihna= Sheena [uhh yeah it was basically just the spelling.
Regal Bryan= regal bryant [i didn't really see the point...]

~~~~~~

alot of the diehard ToS fans also noticed kratos sucked at cooking anything with tomatoes XD thus, the "kratos hates tomatoes" joke was born

[Kei]

[color=darkblue]At least he didn't put lemon in [i]everything[/i] like Raine did... --;

Anyway, having played the game through seven times, I can quite safely say that I love the voice actors (even though they do have some familiar faces amoung them, such as Crispin Freeman, Scott Menville and Tara Strong.) I didn't think they were grating at all. They all seemed to fit their characters really well.

As for the comment about the animation... I honestly don't see what you mean. The anime cut scenes were beautiful in my opinion. True, it was a bit sad to see the[/color] [spoiler]CG-rendered Tower of Salvation in more than a few of them,[/spoiler] [color=darkblue]but on the whole, they were beatuifully done.

And cooking is so great, lol. Not only can you save money on Gels by buying ingredients instead, they're way more effective, anyway (at least, if you collect all of them.) They're invaluable when you[/color] [spoiler]get into the Colisseum battles later to get everyone's weapons.[/spoiler]

[SunfallE]

[QUOTE=Desbreko][color=#4B0082]I cook a decent amount since it seems to be the most efficient way to restore TP. Though I pretty much cook the recipes that restore TP and nothing else. They're handy when I'm going through a dungeon and using a lot of techniques to take down the harder monsters fast, before they can do much damage.

I really need to play this game more. It's always a lot of fun when I pick it up and play for a few hours, but I tend to go a few days between play sessions for some reason. Even moreso now that I'm busy with school, too. ... I swear, Guild Wars might as well be a drug; it always steals my gaming time away from ToS. :hippy:[/color][/QUOTE]

I really like the cooking feature. It really comes in handy on your second time around. Especially if you start the game with your previous cooking ability, with all the extras your characters add to the mix; even recipes that claim to only cure poison actually restore health and TP points as well. So it?s worth your time to develop all the recipes.

[Guest PowerOfThyNerd]

This reminds me that I need to finish this game. ^_^ I got to the final boss chamber and doubled back to get some other stuff - then got distracted when I moved to college, oops. ^_^
The battle system is awesome, the story and visuals are beautiful, and the English voice actors do a great job - except Collette. Too whiney, I guess... Sheena is infinitely more awesome anyway.

[miyukii]

i thought that this games was absolutely awsome, i played it for like forever! i love this game!!! i thought that the whole entire game was absolutely magnificant. i like anime games too but, this is the best out of all them!!!!!! i geeked out when i started playing, whenever i would beat an enemy or an spiirit.

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]I?m sure I?m not the only one, but how many of you have run into side-quests or events that are not listed in the guidebook? For example there is the side quest where Lloyd is trained by Kratos several times if you speak to the right person at the right time. I?ve beaten the game a few times and on my latest run through I ran into a whole new set of events that I hadn?t seen before.

It started in Ozette when [spoiler] Roydle had just kidnapped Collette and Lloyd and the others had just finished helping Presea bury her father. Kratos shows up and comments on the fact that they lost the Chosen so to speak.[/spoiler] Your party automatically goes to Sheena?s village and then you leave for the Temple of Lightening. But if you return to Ozette before going to the Temple of Lightening and [spoiler] speak to the girl standing next to the save circle in the inn it starts a conversation regarding Kratos and if you choose to be concerned about it then later in the game it triggers additional times that you run into Kratos. Both encounters occur as you are searching for the keys to cure Collette, one in front of the castle in Meltekio and the other when you enter the villiage of the Elves for the first time. [/spoiler]

So have any of you run into other events that are not listed in the guidebook?[/COLOR]

[Kei]

[color=darkblue]Ah, yes, I've read about that little side-quest in one of the guides I read for reasearch on GameFAQs. I've never done it myself, though I want to, since Kratos is my favorite character and all.

I've not read the guidebook, so I don't really know if this is known, but there is a side-quest[/color] [spoiler]once you reach Sybak after the fight wth Rodyle, methinks. If you talk to the boy standing beside the junkmonger (where you get Colette's Key Crest,) he'll give Sheena the Pink Pearl Ring. Once you go back to Meltokio, a girl will see Sheena with the ring and ask her where she got it from. Once she tells her, the girl will give the party 5,000 Gald to give to the boy, but if you take it back to him, he'll refuse it. Later in the game, you'll meet the two again in Meltokio and they'll ask for their ring back.[/spoiler]

[color=darkblue]I'm currently trying to find all these little things for the guide I'm writing, so if I find any more, I'll be sure to say something here, heh.[/color]

[Aaryanna]

[QUOTE=Lady Katana][color=darkblue]Ah, yes, I've read about that little side-quest in one of the guides I read for reasearch on GameFAQs. I've never done it myself, though I want to, since Kratos is my favorite character and all.

I've not read the guidebook, so I don't really know if this is known, but there is a side-quest[/color] [spoiler]once you reach Sybak after the fight wth Rodyle, methinks. If you talk to the boy standing beside the junkmonger (where you get Colette's Key Crest,) he'll give Sheena the Pink Pearl Ring. Once you go back to Meltokio, a girl will see Sheena with the ring and ask her where she got it from. Once she tells her, the girl will give the party 5,000 Gald to give to the boy, but if you take it back to him, he'll refuse it. Later in the game, you'll meet the two again in Meltokio and they'll ask for their ring back.[/spoiler]

[color=darkblue]I'm currently trying to find all these little things for the guide I'm writing, so if I find any more, I'll be sure to say something here, heh.[/color][/QUOTE]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]I?ve seen that quest in the actual guidebook. You actually run into the [spoiler] girl in Altimira since Sheena drops the ring and she picks it up to give it back to you. Then you take the 5,000 gald to Sybak and give it to Joshua and he won?t take it. So you then go to Meltiko as the girl asks you to meet her there once you?ve given Joshua the money. You give her the money back and once she leaves her friend explains to you what is going on. You have to go back to Sybak and talk to Joshua again and explain to him what is going on, other wise you won?t run into them later in Meltiko. [/spoiler]

I?ve run into one that isn?t in the guidebook too! I think it doesn?t occur until after you are [spoiler] searching for the stuff for Collette. But if you return to Altessa?s place, you will see an exsphere on the table in the room where Mithos and Tabatha are. If you go and examine it, it will trigger an event where Lloyd, Presea and Tabatha go to the Toiz Valley Mine to learn about exsphere?s. [/spoiler][/COLOR]

[lilkid]

Hi,i am getting this game tommorrow or monday or November 6 ,2005.I am wondering who else plays it and wonder if we can be friends.Also if you played it before talk about it cause i wanna know the total infomation about it.Also i would like advice to know what to do or not to do.If anyone can help me one like cheats orhow to get hidden stuff talk about it cause i would like to know and probally other people.The people who don't know what the game is,it is a guarnteed 80+hours gameplay and thats like if you play it and know everything.I think it has a really good story line of what i saw and some people think its the best.So if you got any information about it say on here okay.

[Guest Kaigaishii]

[quote name='lilkid']Hi,i am getting this game tommorrow or monday or November 6 ,2005.I am wondering who else plays it and wonder if we can be friends.Also if you played it before talk about it cause i wanna know the total infomation about it.Also i would like advice to know what to do or not to do.If anyone can help me one like cheats orhow to get hidden stuff talk about it cause i would like to know and probally other people.The people who don't know what the game is,it is a guarnteed 80+hours gameplay and thats like if you play it and know everything.I think it has a really good story line of what i saw and some people think its the best.So if you got any information about it say on here okay.[/quote] [SIZE=1]I love that game! Except....I keep getting stuck....You really need to buy the guide in order to play it to the end. :animedepr [/SIZE]

[lilkid]

I know thats why i need help here people!!!

[2010DigitalBoy]

Okay first off all this game is easy, I don't know what your talking about.

Secondly, in my opinion, this is the greatest game ever created in the history of time. The battle system is awesome because all of your moves execute swiftly and you can unleash huge combos and the AI is brilliant. Not to mention you can have up to 4 players.

The best thing about this game is the story and the charachters. Id get in depth but I have to leave soon. Let me just say that I loved the charachters so much that I created a long line of fanfiction about them which you can find on fanfiction.net under my name of Tical.

[lilkid]

Okay to say,the rusults so far,who don't like this game?But if no one doesn't then lets life life.I am getting the game tommorrow when i get home and i will play it so much,i might not be on for like a week or a cuoples days for sure.So can anyone help me like train something first or make sure i don't for get about ya di ad de ah.

[Stuart]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Actually, there has already been a Tales of Symphonia thread which can be located [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=40751][U][B]here[/B][/U][/URL], and is also listed in the Play It Thread Directory. So, for more imformation on the game-- I'd recommend overviewing the previous thread regarding the game. [/FONT]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]*merges with the aforementioned thread*

I'm still only on the first disc, but so far I've haven't found the game overly difficult. There've been a few times where I've died (though half the times were because I hadn't bothered getting new armor yet), but as long as you don't just rush enemies and blindly mash the A button it's not that bad. So don't discount being able to play the game without a guide before you've even picked it up.

Thoough if you really do end up needing help, there's always [url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/][u]GameFAQs[/u][/url]. I'd recommend checking for help there before posting here, since anything you might need help with is likely already explained in a FAQ there.[/color]

[armana]

[QUOTE=Lady Katana][color=darkblue]
As for the comment about the animation... I honestly don't see what you mean. The anime cut scenes were beautiful in my opinion. True, it was a bit sad to see the[/color] [spoiler]CG-rendered Tower of Salvation in more than a few of them, but on the whole, they were beatuifully done.[/spoiler][/QUOTE]

I said real-time cut scenes; the scenes running from the in-game engine. The anime cut scenes were indeed awesome, as were the CG ones.

My previous post sounded a bit negative so I'd just like to recap: Tales is one of my all-time favourite games, and certainyl one of the best I've played on GameCube.

[2010DigitalBoy]

Difficult? O_o your kidding. A) the battles have difficulty settings ranging from Normal (rediculously easy) Hard (easy) and Mania (hard). B) The dungeons are really short and easy to navigate. C) the tutorials explain even the tiniest aspects of gameplay...

[Kenshin DX]

Good game. Im a big fan of the Tales series. Im playingTales of Legendia for the Ps2.And its great so far. I love the anime style cut scenes.

[kalon]

Yes, I like Tales of Symohonia. I love it. I adore it. I have no game I like better on the Gamecube.

In case you did not know, ToS is a great RPG. The story follows a young girl named Colette who is the Chosen of Mana. Instead of being Colette, you are her friend Lloyd Irving, a self-taught 17-year-old swordsman who has a strong sense of justice, despite the fact that his best ever test score was 25 out of 400. The game has several interesting twists involving the Goddess Martel and a hero of legend. Game play spans at least 60 hours.

Even if you are not fond of role playing games, this could easily be an exception. The battle system worked very well. It is like a simplified fighting game with tons of techniques and 9 unique characters. You can take direct control over one party member, or let them all be automatic. The others act on their own with good A.I., which is fortunate since you will need everyone's skill in battle. You can have their moves set as short-cuts, and you have several options for overall battle commands. Moves can be combined, and you can set up huge combos. My only complaint is that the final boss is too easy to beat, especially compared to one nasty optional boss, who is found in the Devil's Arms side quest.

The graphics are nice with detailed people and monsters and bright colors, although some people do not care for the almost-chibi character sizes. Personally, I loved the anime-based style. A few cut-scenes are pure anime, and those are especially stunning. The only down side is that there aren't many of them, and most are near the game's end. The ability to skip cut scenes would also be appreciated. Important scenes have voice acting. The voices and dialogue can be called a little cheesy, but it is still better than the usual American voice-over.

Playing straight through the game takes a good while to complete. With all the sidequests offered, you will definitely recieve your money's worth for replay value. I have spent over 200 total hours playing and beating it twice, and I still have not done all possible quests!

This game will remain one of my favories for years to come. I love the unique characters and never get tired of playing. This is a must-have for any RPG fan or Gamecube owner.

P.S.: Tales of Symphonia was made as a sort of prequel to Tales of Phantasia. Some of the story points click, such as a special tree and a certain character with the last name "Fujibayashi" is available. That game has been ported to the GBA and is currently sucking up my life.

[TheResplendent]

My friend sings it's praises all the time, and i will eventually get around to playing it. There's just too many with a higher priority. It's tough to get around to all the games ya want to when your a RPG fanatic, heh. Throw in a college schedule and work and well things get tough to keep up with.

[DNAngel360]

my friend thinks loyd is hot and we both beat the game together after we figured out how to put it in two players on the gamecube it is one of my favorite game on the gamecube so far i love the story my favorite character is sheena and the graphics on the game are awsome i also like the fighting styles :catgirl:

[PWNED]

The Tales saga is alright, even if I've only played a Japanese version on SNES (ToP, that is) at my friends house with him doing the general translation of it. I really enjoyed it and now wait for it's translated release in Australia (From what I've heard, They cut out a fair bit of dialogue).

[_Kenshin_]

This is my most treasured game on the gamecube, I've beaten it twice and once at a party when we had a four player story which is the funnest thing EVER!! But I got stuck with Raine the whole story, she's not my favourite, but I got alot of praise for helping out.

I want to play Tales of Phantasia, but I'm on a tight budget at the moment so I can't.

It would be an even better, but confusing obviously if it was an online game.