Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
 Potentially the greatest RPG ever! August 11, 2008
I asked for this game for christmas just after it came out, having seen an advert for it. It looked decent enough, and though I was more excited about Namco's other RPG, Baten Kaitos, at the time, I decided to give it a try.
In terms of gaming, I have never made a better choice.
There're so many aspects of this game to speak about, it's hard to know where to begin.
Graphics - beautiful. A sort of chibi-esque anime style that gives both a sense of beauty yet cuteness to the game.
Music - If you're not so absorbed by what's going on, beautifully matched to the tone at the time. And in this section I shall also include voice acting. Because in this game it's flawless.
The control system of ToS is easy to use, allowing you ease of control of each of the 9 playable characters, creating magnificent combo attacks.
The elements of ToS that strike me the most though, are the characters and storyline.
This is not a simple 'good-vs-evil' game. It's not the simple anime convention of 'I shall save the world and be a hero', it's got a variety of plot twists in it that give it an understatedly dark tone to it at times, coupled with a morality to the tale to give it some REAL meaning. The characters are engaging. There is always one who'll be a favourite and they come in a variety that's sure to please anyone and everyone, whether you like the dark, brooding warrior, or the chipper teenage girl. And unlike most games, you'll actually come to care about the characters, including at least one of the bad guys.
There is...nothing...I can think of in this game that would stop me from recommending it to anyone. It has a series of mini-games and side-quests, the straight storyline including its emotional highs and lows and even humour.
The one thing I can say about this game, is that I have never met ANYONE who has played it and doesn't like it. So it's really not surprising that Namco have decided to do a sequel to it, as well as create an accompanying anime series and a huge stack of manga.
This game is why I play video games. This game is one of the greatest ever created. This is why I am on my 5th play through currently and am sure to play through again afterwards.
Fantastic, must-play, game!
Amazing RPG. The best on Gamecube August 31, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The best RPG on the gamecube to date. Amazing characters, in depth storyline with drammatic scenes. Superb.
Fantastic January 16, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If ever there was a single game I would buy a gamecube for this would be it, I had bought this game as a reccomendation from a friend and found myself immediately hooked to it for hours on end.
Where to start? The storyline was always full of detail and questions, building up an affinity with characters and partying particular characters at a certain time can influence the storyline in places so it meant there was always a reason to replay things differently to see how things worked out.
The battle system though different was comfortable and very easy to use, additionally the skills and combinations you could put together and discover meant battles rarely got dull.
While not graphically amazing the graphics were still nice and appropriate to the game. The voice actors also seemed to fit the characters well.
Other then the storyline there are other tasks which you can complete in game to gain access to harder fights or better weapons which is always a nice distraction.
Upon the completion of the game it also has a new game plus sort of feature in which it means you can spend points accumulated through your completion to spend at the beginning of the game to give yourself an advantage next run through which can make a big difference on a second run through of the game if you didnt quite finish all you could.
 Excellent RPG... but NOT the best August 24, 2006
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is arguably the best Gamecube RPG and any roleplaying fan will enjoy it.
The story starts like a rip-off of Final Fantasy X, but several twists ensure it carves out its own identity in the second half of the game. Although the plot is fairly standard stuff, it actually becomes rather complicated and I found it difficult to keep track of which characters belonged to which faction and what their aims were - but even if it doesn't make complete sense to you, it's still an enjoyable romp. The characters are all appealing enough, although it was slightly shocking to see an older female character continually punching and beating two younger characters when they made a mistake! The dialogue is mostly cheesy but not so bad as to ruin the experience...as long as you're not expecting the kind of sharp script, well-rounded characters and complex, mature storylines found in Bioware RPGs like Knights Of The Old Republic and Jade Empire.
The graphics are cel-shaded, giving the game a somewhat 'cutesy' look, but the towns and cities are full of charming detail. The travelling sections are bland, but the same could be said for most other console RPGs. The music is fine, and the voice acting isn't too bad.
Length-wise, this is good value for money; the first time playing will probably take you between 40 and 50 hours, dependng on how much levelling up you like to do, and there are a number of side quests which can add to that amount. There's also some incentive for playing again (if you have the time!) in the form of grade points, awarded for your skill in combat after every battle. These can be used in the game to improve weapons and armour, but can also be used to purchase various special additions at the end of the game to be used for your second attempt.
The combat in this game is real-time, which is either a blessing or a curse depending on your point of view. I enjoyed it; it becomes quite frantic trying to position your character to strike whilst simultaneously issuing orders to your companions and watching their health. There are a wide range of strategy choices for the characters you aren't directly controlling, and the AI is pretty good at following your instructions. Even if things aren't going well, it's easy to pause the fight and issue new orders to your teammates.
So, overall an excellent RPG for Gamecube owners. However, I do find it surprising that anyone could describe this as 'the best RPG ever' - unless they haven't played many - as it is somewhat lacking in a few areas such as plot and characterisation when compared to the classics of the genre like Final Fantasy VII onwards, KOTOR, etc. However, if you own a GC and like RPGs, you should definitely seek out this game, as you are certain to enjoy it.
Almost The Best Gamecube Game Ever June 25, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
When I first powered up my 'cube to play this game, the first thing that struck me was the amazing start up video. It has an anime theme, and it's vivid colours and characters are amazing. To be honest, I found the beginning of the actual game a bit lame. The voice acting through the whole thing seems as if it was spoken without the actors knowing what they were talking about. There are only three or four amazing cut scenes accross the 2 discs, but these are worth the wait.
Gameplay is incredibly fun. Before I got this game I was a final fantasy X fan, but now if I return to it I just get bored and annoyed at the constant barrage of slow paced random battles. This game is completely different. You are given a side on view of the battle scene and control one of four players in the battle, the others are computer controlled. My only problem with the battle system is when you change to multiplayer. You simply need to press start on one of the controllers, and you are controlling the corresponding character in battle along side your friends. This could have been the factor that gave this game a 5 star review, however the camera zooms in close to the 1 player's character and target, leaving your mates off screen completely, ruining the potentially incredibal battle experience. You can mix and match any combination of a total of eight playable characters, including 2 powerful mages, a summoner with a wide array of dazzling summonable gods, and my favourite, Presea, a short, pink haired, axe wielding warrior. The battle graphics are cool, with a kind of cell-shaded 3D anime feel to them, and towns are beautifully designed however the field's graphics look more like a PS1 game especially when compared to the anime cut scenes and the battle graphics.
The story line is good, with many twists and turns, and also confronting many predjudices and other serious issues but other parts of the story cliched, and similar to too many other RPGs.
In conclusion; if you are a gamecube fan looking for a great game that will last you months, get this game! If you are an RPG fan looking for a change to the turn based, menu filled world of Final Fantasty, get this game. Even if you hate RPGs, this game is still fun to play, and totally different to loads of RPGs because of its fast paced and incredibly fun battles.
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