by Marie Roberts

Created on: July 01, 2009   Last Updated: July 03, 2009

Are you in love with RPGs? Do you enjoy the artistic style of anime? Do you like innovative battle systems packed full of unique techniques? Then Namco presents to you, in the form of a beautiful fantasy RPG: Tales of Symphonia.

From the successful "Tales of-" series, Tales of Symphonia is inarguably the best of the lot. With an absolutely astounding soundtrack and a storyline that will make you laugh, cry and fall in love with the wide variety of characters, you will embark on a journey that will make you never want to turn away from the game again.

The player begins the game in the control of one Lloyd Irving, an unintelligent yet idealistic 17-year-old boy, who will be the main protagonist for the rest of the game. Together he and five others must go on a journey that is of utmost importance, breaking magical seals, defeating formidable foes, and chiefly, reaching the Tower of Salvation, where world peace will finally be achieved. However, things do not go according to plan, and the journey is much longer than expected. The group gains more companions along the way, and eventually they learn that they must not save only one world, but two. Several other twists are added to the plot, and at times you can make the storyline change in a way that suits your style - you can choose whether to kill a character or to be kind to another. All in all, the storyline gives you a growing relationship with the characters and keeps you hooked until the very end, and with a number of twists that will keep you surprised, the storyline for Tales of Symphonia receives a (9/10).

The battle system is one of the high-points for the game. It is not turn-based, so a lot of the tedium is taken out of it, but it is not so action-packed that you cannot keep track of everything. You choose the four characters that will take place in your battles, and control one of them (although the game is multiplayer, so up to three friends can play). By pressing one button, you can attack. By pressing another, you can block. And by pressing the rest, you can use the technique that you have set there. It's as simple as that - no complicated ten-button-long combinations to remember. Each character has a set of techniques unique to them, so you won't get tired of hearing the same technique shouted out over and over again. The enemies come in a range of difficulties and elements, so you'll always have a challenge on your hand every now and again, but not so much that you'll become tired of dying

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