We store cookies, you can get more info from our privacy policy.

Nintendo World Report's Greatest GameCube Games

Tales of Symphonia

by Steven Rodriguez - January 31, 2007, 12:00 pm EST

We take a look back at the games worthy enough to be considered the GameCube's best.

The Greatest GameCube Games: Tales of Symphonia


Tales of Symphonia

Tales of Symphonia

Released July 13, 2004

Developed by Namco

Published by Namco

NWR Reviews: 9.0 - 9.0

Retrospective by Karl Casteneda

The realm of GameCube role-playing games doesn't have the most bountiful selection to choose from, but there are a few gems out there. One of the shiniest is Tales of Symphonia. Starring Lloyd Irving, a young swordsman orphaned at a young age, you’ll experience the traditional clichés of the genre, from the ever-present plot-twist-that-turns-everything around to the tragic villain who’s become warped by his zeal. Fortunately, the quirky cast of characters and solid dialog make up for the cut-and-paste plot line.

But the real fun comes from the battle system. Unlike most RPGs, where fighting is turn-based, all of Symphonia’s action takes place in real-time. Called the Linear Motion system, each character in a four-man party can only move forward and backwards, but can employ a large range of attacks via button combos, similar to a fighting game.

Hectic battle against a mythical beast How could you say such a thing? Electronic Entertainment Expo 2004: KABOOM! QUALITY! (Yes, I know I used it already.)

What’s also notable about Symphonia is that up to four players can get in on the action – while only Player 1 gets to explore, all of your buddies can duke it out once you’re on the battlefield. If you don’t have the extra controllers, though, the rest of your party is AI-controlled. Once you customize their commands a bit, they’re actually quite useful. More often than not, they'll save your butt.

On top of that, this game is long. My first play-through clocked in at over 50 hours, and I hardly did any side-quests. And with its highly stylized graphics, you’ll be loving every frame of it – Tales of Symphonia is a fiercely entertaining game, from start to finish. It's easily the GameCube's biggest game, and it's definitely one of its greatest.


Thoughts From the NWR Staff

Michael Cole: "Even after its lengthy main quest was complete, Tales of Symphonia provided astounding replayability for RPG fans. After "beating the game", players could hunt for the Devil's Arms, challenge themselves to a very difficult, randomly generated dungeon, or replay the game with a variety of options to make the game easier or more challenging.

"Tales wasn't perfect, though. The Tales series' real-time battle system is fun…as long as you stick to the main character. I found the multiplayer to be mostly a gimmick, as the game played much better with CPU-controlled partners. Character animations also took a back seat during the game's development, which is understandable for such a long game, but the resulting club hands and fist-shaking was a bit unnerving."

Cinema: Shiny Cinema: The Symphonia Cast Cinema: Sunny Day

David Trammell: "I didn't play Tales because I rarely make it through RPG's, and I find it hard to spare 50 hours these days. In retrospect, I wish I had tried it instead of Paper Mario and Baten Kaitos (having made only the smallest of dents in each)."

Jonathan Metts: "I love this game's battle system, though TYP is right in saying that it doesn't hold up well if you switch to any of the supporting characters. The story has some interesting moments, but what I mainly remember about Tales of Symphonia is its incredible length, which was so refreshing at the time, because GameCube had few RPGs and fewer of any respectable quality or length."

Steven Rodriguez: "I'll say. Even though the back of the box advertised 80 hours of gameplay, I didn't actually expect for there to be that much content. Every time I thought I would need to put in the second disc, the game kept chugging on. 55 hours after I had started, I was worried that the game would never end! Thankfully, the second disc was much shorter, but it was still quite a ride. Symphonia is definitely one of my favorite GameCube games."


Cut From the Same Cloth

Electronic Entertainment Expo 2004: Grand hall An icy attack

The Baten Kaitos Series

A few months after Tales of Symphonia debuted, Namco released Monolith Soft’s Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean. From the same developers as the popular Xenosaga franchise, Baten Kaitos tells the story of a floating continent, where a young man named Kalas must uncover the mysteries of an ancient evil and prevent it from destroying everything he holds dear.

The game innovates by employing Magnus Cards – the player can use them for combining items, cooking food, and most importantly, to fight. By acquiring straights, or multiple cards of the same number, your attacks will get stronger.

Last year, Baten Kaitos received a prequel, Origins, which sets up the plot of the first game. Published by Nintendo in North America, the game continues Eternal Wings’ battle concept with some tweaks here and there, but it retains the entertaining experience without missing a step. Both of the Baten Kaitos games are solid card-based RPGs that any genre fan would do well to try out, if only for their fantastic visuals and unparalleled soundtracks.

Got a news tip? Send it in!
Advertisement
Advertisement