Very awesome. This game is definitely worth playing and is definitely worth your time.
Gameplay - The gameplay is very good overall. Although I'm a bigger fan of the turn-based type RPGs, Tales of Symphonia's battle system turned out to be amazing, despite that fact. There are two reasons this category gets a 9 instead of a 10: Loyd , Genis, and some NPCs, and a point in the battle system. Lloyd and Genis are very annoying half the game. Lloyd is too justified and righteous, and he just gets really annoying after a while. Genis is a total smart-aleck, and never hesitates to be sarcastic towards way too many things. Other than that, everyone else is good and Lloyd and Genis have good qualities overall. Some NPCs consist of overreactors and scared people that don't really stay quiet. In the battle system, the only bad thing is that you can only move forwards and back, which is a bit disappointing, since it would be so great to move in every direction. Nonetheless, The battles are excellent, the adventuring is delightful, as are the characters (most of the time =P), and the gameplay overall is great.
Story - Great story in this game. You may as well find yourself immersed completely by it. The story has one chink in its armor: the cliches. You'll hear so many of them that you'll think the story is less serious than it should be, when it isn't. Other than that, the story is very captivating and you'll love it.
Sound - Amazing. Motoi Sakuraba did a great job on GS: TLA, and now Motoi has done a superb job again with this game. The music is incredibly delectable, and you'll want to hear it over and over again (I do =P). The voice acting is great for the most part, and the sound effects, like in battles, are very good too.
Graphics - The cel-shaded style combined with the anime style makes the graphics look amazing. The backgrounds look amazing and everything else too. In battle, the techs, Summon Spirits, magic, etc. are all eye-candy, and you'll enjoy them.
In retrospect, the combination of a fantastic story, a fast-paced, hardcore battle system, and gorgeous graphics, Tales of Symphonia is a game to remember.