The perfect handheld RPG!!!
And yes, sometimes the fetch quests can get tedious or feel shallow.
BUT...
Graphics - Very nice on the small screen, with some very nice little touches, like how different equipment makes you look so different, which adds personality to your avatar.
Sound - Well acted, but the music is a little bit bland. However, because there's so much speech, it's not surprising that the music was sacrificed. System performance - The best performance for a PSP game I've seen to date. There's very little loading time for anything (the biggest issue with PSP games in my experience), so going in and out of battles is very fluent.
Plot - Typical of many RPGs, but it tends to be background to the gameplay, which I quite enjoy in this instance. Gameplay - I'll divide this up...
World Map - Very simple interface, with nice drawings to represent where you're going. It works very well, and looks very nice. Town - Again, a simple map showing different areas of the town. Works very well, and there's enough NPCs around to chat with and have fun little conversations. Crafting - Very simple interface, but satisfying when you make a new dish, or upgrade your weapons and armour. Its a fun little distraction, and if you spend enough time developping yourself, it has a great impact on your game experience. Battle - Now, as Gamespot says, you can get through battles just pressing X. HOWEVER... if you take the time to learn the different combos and artes, you can have very fun battles, and if you're good, can get through very difficult battles with just a scratch, which is very satisfying. The battles are quick and dirty, and it's perfect for the handheld. Spend time learning the battle system, and you'll have a GREAT time with this game. Stat Developpment - Mostly happens automatically, but it works well on the handheld.
Overall - The best RPG, nay, the best game I've played on my PSP. It 's a simplified version of the Tales format, which makes it a great game for a system that's designed to be picked up and played for quick sessions.