From the plethora of Tales game that Namco has released over the years, there are only a few that stands out and one of them is Tales of Symphonia. Originally released for the Nintendo Gamecube almost a decade ago, Tales of Symphonia was considered, up until now, to be the best Tales game that Namco had ever released. Giving the newer generation of gamers a chance to play this classic JRPG, a HD port has been released bundled with its sequel, Dawn of the New World.
Tales of Symphonia Chronicles consists of two games: the original Tales of Symphonia released on the Nintendo Gamecube and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World that was released on the Nintendo Wii several years ago. For only $39.99, PS3 owners will be able to experience a classic JRPG that a lot of people missed when the first game was released since it was an exclusive to the Nintendo Gamecube.
In the first Tales of Symphonia, only a few additions can be found in the game. As with every other HD ports that have been released on the PS3, JRPG fans can expect the visuals of Tales of Symphonia to be a lot crisper. The environments now look a lot cleaner and the character models are sharper. As for content, only a few has been added: a Japanese OVA for the intro and the option to switch between English and Japanese audio. Apart from the mentioned changes, nothing much can be seen in the HD port of Tales of Symphonia. Fans who are looking for “new content” in this HD port will be disappointed. Oh, don’t forget they now have trophies too.
Between the first two Tales of Symphonia games, the first one stands out the most. From the story to its amount of gameplay being offered, Tales of Symphonia has the things every JRPG fan is looking for in a game – nice cast of characters, a well-written plot, an addicting combat system. For those who have played the newer generation of Tales games but not the classic ones like Tales of Symphonia, one of the things you will find in this game is that the combat system is somewhat old-school. Instead of being able to move around the battlefield, you are stuck in a side-scrolling battle system. It’s not as bad as newcomers might think, but it might take some time to get used to.
For gamers who are new to the first game, Tales of Symphonia follows the story of Lloyd Irving and Collete in their quest to regenerate the mana of the world. Through their perilous journey, they will be joined by a lot of characters that will contribute in shaping up a great story the game has to offer. Characters such as Genis, Raine, and Kratos are among the characters that will be joining our two heroes. In their journey, their fate will be tested as all sorts of plots and unexpected twists will unravel. The story may start off predictable, but wait until you get to the later parts of the game – the story will get better!