Tales of Symphonia

[Gummy]

As, ToS. This game broke my 'Tales of' virginity, and I've never regretted it. I remember having to sleep over my sister's house for a weekend and I literally played ONLY this game the entire time (and beat it). Would recommend to any JRPG fan, along with Tales of the Abyss and Tales of Vesperia. Symphonia is still my favorite though (ToV is a close second).

 

[pastelspectre]

I really like tos. It is a very well made game. I do like Phantasia as well though.

 

[alisaie]

Another issue I have with it is that I think there were too many characters and the plot suffered a bit because of it. :< They were all great characters but it focused too much on the Iselia group and most of the Tethe'alla characters got shafted because of it and seemed less important which is just unfortunate. Don't get me wrong, I still love the game but over the years I've come to realize it wasn't as utterly amazing as I originally thought it was. xD; But I'll always adore it for getting me into the Tales series.

I do have to agree with this as a flaw the plot has. While the plot was amazing, when you think about it more, the game leaves you with some plot holes. For example: Zelos and his 'alliance' with Cruxis. If you choose Zelos over Kratos, you never even hear much of a reason as to why he sided with them, which is actually more than ''I want to be on the winning side''. His back story isn't told either unless you pick him for the Flanoir event either (which is hard to get omg. ;;) 'Course.. the last of backstory and things could partly be because they don't really delve into that on anyone until they reach Tethe'alla.

Luckily, we do have the manga and the OVA in some cases that cover some of those plotholes for us (again, specifically Zelos).

I think you should get it if you want to. It's a considered a bad game by dieheard fans of the original game but if you love Symphonia, there's enough carry over from before if, like me, you just have to see where your favourite character ends up after Symphonia's endgame.

This. I'll be really honest here and say while I was disappointed in the sequel, I've played it... two or three times just so I can see the original cast again. When the original cast was around, the game was much more enjoyable, despite all the negatives. Buuut, that's probably just because I love the original cast so much, and I didn't let the voice changes bother me too much (except Lloyds. It makes me cry like.. every time I hear it gwar.)

Derk, if you're still coming to Florida, then instead of buying the sequel just play it at my house... if you're so skeptical to getting it now. XD;

 

[-Jared-]

Ooh, Tales of Symphonia. ^__^ I loooove this game. I originally got this game due to chance, when my grandparents took my brother and I to Target for clothes shopping, and my grandfather decided to treat us with a video game, on the condition that we had to agree on the game. I looked at Final Fantasy V for GBA, while my brother was eyeing a Sonic the Hedgehog game, which neither of us wanted to budge on. So we compromised and grabbed ToS, which we thought looked interesting.

That was one of the best gaming decisions we have made. XD

My favorite characters to play as are Lloyd and Sheena. I can't seem to get the hang of playing as the other characters. They just don't seem to mesh well with me. :\

It IS a horrible game. The only redeeming factor is seeing my favorite characters again. Including Robin Irving, except he isn't anymore because the VAs changed.

Let me list the pros and cons...

Pros:
-Nostalgia Factor
-See the aftermath of the last story
-Have more ToS to play.

Cons:
-No open world travel. Excluded completely.
-Universal control is only for 2 characters, and whatever pokem--er, I mean, monsters you capture. All the old characters you can not control, don't level, are unable to switch equipment, etc.
-Characters are annoying and forgettable. I completely forgot the protagonist's names, but I remember all of the old cast's names fine.
-Story has been knocked down multiple notches. It is nothing compared to the glory that is the original ToS's story.
-The game is short. Short as hell. It's about 1/4 the length of the first one, likely less.
-Clunky controls.
-Different VAs
-And more...

Yeah, you decide.

I can't help but laugh, because for me, the pros outweigh the cons...>__> Am I weird for that? XD!

 

[Cherrim]

Not really. :3 The nostalgia factor can be really powerful with games and with a world as strong as Symphonia had (with really memorable characters, towns, and plotlines), going back to see how everything is progressing can be really satisfying. Though I must admit, there weren't all that many things in it (regarding the plots carrying over from the first game) that I was impressed with. xD;

Spoiler:

But to be honest, I adored how the whole Tethe'allans looking down on the Sylvaranti plot. I don't think I'd ever reeaally considered the consequences of merging the two worlds like that but it makes so much sense that that would happen. I'm glad it wasn't taken lightly because it would definitely happen that way.

I do have to agree with this as a flaw the plot has. While the plot was amazing, when you think about it more, the game leaves you with some plot holes. For example: Zelos and his 'alliance' with Cruxis. If you choose Zelos over Kratos, you never even hear much of a reason as to why he sided with them, which is actually more than ''I want to be on the winning side''. His back story isn't told either unless you pick him for the Flanoir event either (which is hard to get omg. ;;) 'Course.. the last of backstory and things could partly be because they don't really delve into that on anyone until they reach Tethe'alla.

Luckily, we do have the manga and the OVA in some cases that cover some of those plotholes for us (again, specifically Zelos).

Yeah, agreed. D: I mean, I really think the game was good, but it just left so much untouched... and not all of it was stuff that people would naturally just fill in on their own. In order to get the whole story (and even then it wasn't complete), you had to play through at least twice... and that's a huge commitment for a lot of people. I can't stand when games do that, especially for things like background information and proper character development. Without the Flanoir scene and a few others, most characters just don't seem as deep as they really are. :(

But I really loved how the OVA has been handling things, which is weird because I'd just assumed it'd skim over everything even more than the game did since it has so much less time to cover the plot.

 

[Hanyou]

I love Symphonia and its characters but I find it unplayable now that I've played Abyss and Vesperia. No free run & horrible multiplayer camera just kills the battle system for me, haha. :(

To be honest, I find that the Free Run just makes the battle feel slower and less interesting. I have Vesperia and enjoy it, but I still prefer Symphonia, even if its battle system is simpler.

I got this game in 2004 on my girlfriend's advice (she introduced me to a lot of the games I like, actually) and I thought it was absolutely spectacular. Initially, I wasn't interested; after the 20 hour mark (a significant amount of time, I know), it really picked up and never disappointed me after that. While I'd previously played Pokemon, I consider Symphonia my introduction to JRPG's in earnest, which has earned it a special place for me. The game is massive, its story is interesting to say the least, and its characters are memorable. Of course the gameplay is addictive as well, which made leveling much less of a chore.

It always bothers me when people strike out against JRPG archetypes. ToS has them in droves, but that hardly matters, because they were used appropriately. I suppose my experience with them in ToS made them more palatable to me. Anyway, my favorite character is probably Raine, followed by Kratos and Collette. They all help to make Tales of Symphonia the great game that it is.

I've since played both Abyss and Vesperia. I put Abyss down after 4 hours--I hated the characters, who were all indifferent and annoying. I'll pick it up again in the future. On the other hand, I very much enjoy Vesperia and am in the process of playing it for the first time. I dabbled in Tales of Phantasia as well, which made more of an impact on me than Abyss or Vesperia.

Tales is a great series, and Symphonia seems to stand at the very top of the pack, at least in my limited experience.

 

[Cherrim]

To be honest, I find that the Free Run just makes the battle feel slower and less interesting. I have Vesperia and enjoy it, but I still prefer Symphonia, even if its battle system is simpler.

Free run was a little broken in Abyss since there were no consequences to simply having one person run around distracting every enemy while everyone else stood back and casted easily, but at least in Vesperia (and ToS2, I think?), if you were free running you were also setting yourself up to take increased damage if you were hit. But not having it at all is really restricting, especially with Symphonia's camera and playing with another person. :[

 

[Captain Fabio]

I love this game so much, I am going to play it for the millionth time! XD
I am going to be doing a LP on it; which will be up starting tonight at some point, so you can nostalgia with me! :3

As regards to the second game, I did play it for a bit, but the lac of open world disappointed me. I haven't played it much since.​

​

 

[pastelspectre]

Seems nice. I'm stuck though, does anyone have any tips?

 

[alisaie]

Free run was a little broken in Abyss since there were no consequences to simply having one person run around distracting every enemy while everyone else stood back and casted easily, but at least in Vesperia (and ToS2, I think?), if you were free running you were also setting yourself up to take increased damage if you were hit. But not having it at all is really restricting, especially with Symphonia's camera and playing with another person. :[

I didn't mind Symphonia's camera all too much... but it could be that I'm used to it. As for multi-player there is always setting the first player to a caster, but for some strange reason my sister doesn't like it when the screen is backed out so both of us can see. Preferences, I guess. Makes it easier for my to be first player and a fighter, though. xD;

Depends on how you're stuck. Do you not know where to go? Are you trying to get through a place Welgaia, or at a boss battle.

 

[pastelspectre]

I got to this place, it's past Hakoenisa Peak.

 

[alisaie]

Ahh... That would be either Asgard or Palmacosta, depending on if you took the boat or not. I'm going to assume you did that you were supposed to do in Izoold and took the boat, so you're in Asgard. If you haven't then, go up some stairs between the two inns near the top of the screen (when you enter) and a scene should start.

I could be wrong, but that's because I'm not quite sure where you're at based on that info. :x

 

[pastelspectre]

well I went to this place where they have the wind seal. I dunno what it's called.

 

[シーツー]

Oh gosh, Tales of Symphonia is, along with Okami, my favorite video game ever.
I'll never forget when I first went through the story with all the (for me unexpected) plot twists. Really really awesome stuff.

There's almost no character I absolutely hate, except for maybe, Rodyle xD

My favorites would have to be Mithos, Presea and Zelos, though^_^ Mithos is the bestest of the best <3

@Shadow_Angel
The wind seal? The real or fake one? xD You're probably in Asgard and right now I'm not too sure what you are supposed to do. I'm only sure that you need to get Raine to be the sacrifice. There should be a house with some people having an argument and well... someone else should know better than me xD

 

[pastelspectre]

I saw that scene already. :s

 

[alisaie]

Mithos is the bestest of the best <3

Agreed. <3

I saw that scene already. :s

Then you need to go to the Balocrauf Mausoleum (I can't spell this for my life). Just head back towards Hakonesia Peak, and to the left there should be a path you can take and a bridge. Cross the bridge and head up until you get there. Unless that's the seal you're speaking about and you're stuck on the puzzle.

 

[Gummy]

I can't possibly be the only Kratos lover here. I just love everything about him.

 

[Cherrim]

I can't possibly be the only Kratos lover here. I just love everything about him.

He used to be my favourite and I was obsessed with him but when I got older, he just seemed too emo for me. :[ I ended up preferring Lloyd more and more until he became my favourite instead, haha.

Kratos is still my favourite to play as, though.

 

[pastelspectre]

Ahaha Kratos is so... serious it's like... .-.
And I will go that place. :p

 

[Miss Doronjo]

Symphonia is one of my favourite games, period. <3 Same with some of the Tales of games. <3

By the way, I love the victory quotes! ^___^

"Don't worry! There are hotties in heaven, you know!"
-Zelos Wilder