Tales of Symphonia is my favorite game of all time, and I'm not a big fan of RPG's!
Gameplay: 10_Don't even get me started, or I will have to go play it and forget about this review. The battle system, which is the heart of the gameplay, is flawless! It is the most entertaining battle system of any RPG I have ever played. Being Lloyd and combining all the different physical skills, or being Genis and throwing spell after spell. Raine is actually fun too, she is the healer of the group but has one of the strongest attacks in the game! Or Kratos and Zelos, the hybrid magic, healer, and physical players. Outside of battle usually persists of going to different towns and people to move the story along. But the battles are where it's all at! Did I mention the game is over 50 hours long?
Graphics: 10_The cel-shaded graphics of ToS are really a wonder when looking at some of the bosses you'll face, and the characters are detailed enough to give a good mention. There is a decent amount of different enemy forms, half of which are just recolors of others, but they are nice to look at. The environments are gorgeous and you will travel to many of them. One of the best things though, are the cut-scenes. Although scarce, once you see one of the anime cut-scenes you will fall in love. They are so well put together and well animated.
Sound: 8_ This is where the game falls a little short, the sound is good but not great. The good thing is that everyone has a voice over when your at a semi-important event or anything more important. But alot of the dialog is very cheesy and some battle chants get annoying after awhile. Which is why It gets the 8.
Overall: Tales of Symphonia is a must own game for any RPG fan, or any Gamecube fan. I wasn't and RPG fan in the slightest, but this game is now my favorite video game that I have ever played. So do yourself a favor and get this game. You won't be disappointed, I know I wasn't!