The series has flourished tremendously, a must-play game of this generation. Incredibly fun with minor drawbacks.
GRAPHICS
I want to say the graphics are great- what with the beautiful character designs and frequent art, the detailed towns and character models that are more crisply coloured than the most modern of PS2 rpgs can allow- but it's only a notch or two above. Nothing revolutionary or breathtaking, and certainly nothing that really challenges the power of the cube. It looks like a shinier Skies Of Arcadia, and some of the dungeons are rather blandly designed. As it stands, there is room for improvement but the graphics are still very good.
MUSIC / VA
The music was alot like what I remember from Tales of Eternia/Destiny II. Pretty standard and not memorable or creative, but solid and not unpleasant. There are a handful of stand out tracks. But this is a bit dissapointing coming from Motoi Sakuraba, as the beauty of Valkyrie Profile's OST is still fresh in my mind. If only this game had such revolutionary and catchy tracks too.. The voice-acting is quite good, only faltering once and awhile (with some over-acting) but most of the characters are well-casted and perform up to standard.
STORYLINE
Like the bulk of RPGs, one gamer could find the far-winding story and excessive character interactions deeply satisfying (and probably likes Lunar too ^^;). Whilst another gamer could find it repetitive and interfering with the gameplay. If you've ever liked any RPG storyline than there is a chance that ToS's could reel you in. The quintessential plot twists and world-saving is familiar and lighthearted but doesn't feel forced- and there is the occasional unique idea that is very welcome. But all of that is minor in comparison to the characters. The characters are what really makes the storyline great, and show off the effort put into this category. There are 9 playable characters in all, and each one has their own back story and motives for saving the world. While you're playing the game you can choose to view "skits". Basically they are short conversations between your characters. There are an incredible 200+ skits to view, and they vary from amusing banter, to general boring chat, to revelations in the storyline. I enjoyed trying to find and watch all of these skits, as they revealed the personalties of the characters and the friendships that grow between them. So the real question is- is the storyline as good as my favorite storylines in other rpgs? (example- Lunar) It very nearly is. While there are some very silly lines here and there, I feel that the storyline is still real good overall.
GAMEPLAY
The "fighting game" battle system is back and better than before. You control one character, whilst you have three additional companions in battle that do their own thing based upon your flexible choices in general strategy. The one character you can control can slash and thrust the enemy, guard and link up combos and special attacks, or if he/she is a mage, cast magic and try to keep a distance from the enemy in order to not have their spell interrupted. Enemies and allies also have guards to be broken and "overlimits" that increase power and defense for awhile. You can also do giant bonus group attacks occasionally, when an action bar fills up. You can equip "EX Gems" on your characters and experimenting with different combinations can yield wonderful bonus effects in battle. The battles are depthy as it is, but the dungeons you explore are just as detailed with long puzzles. They are rarely very tricky, but still very enjoyable. Sometimes you'll get a special ability- like shrinking or smashing blocks- in order to solve these puzzles. There are many, many towns and dungeons to explore. Two worlds worth of content. The game itself is about 50-60 hours while the extensive side quests could add an additional 20 or so hours. The game is easy overall, but there are many ways to artificially ratchet up the difficulty- there are no random battles, and with an EX skill that is easy to acquire, it's sometimes possible to just run through and try to get your butt kicked by a boss. Though the flow of gameplay is linear, the sheer variety that the dungeons contain made for little in way of repetition.
LONGEVITY / SIDE-QUESTS / REPLAY
This game is packed to the brim with side quests and optional events/bosses/items. The ending can also change in many ways based on your decisions (or rather, the characters you've earned the greatest friendship with) in the game. For those who love to max out everything (fight every monster, collect every item) the handy "collection" books are back and you get rewarded for being a completist. Also, your characters can earn "titles" and/or costumes by doing everything from linking a long combo in battle to playing a really hard mini-game of red light/green light. There are as many as 6-10+ titles per character, and collecting them all would take as many at least two play-throughs. Speaking of play-throughs.. there is a great New Game+ in this game. You can "buy" additional stuff to make your next play through easier or harder, carry over what you've earned, and experience different branches of the storyline that you couldn't otherwise. The latter is minor though. Still, to complete the game once with 80% side quests took me about 70 hours. The "skit" events I mention under the storyline category is an optional endeavor, and it can require some thorough exploration to get them all.. and with a whopping 200+ skits it can offer alot to the longevity of the game.