Sorry if this is in the wrong topic but is tales of symphonia 2 good? I played the first one and I liked it so I'm hope its a nice continue off.
Your opinion on Tales of Symphonia 2
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PMJ
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This is precisely the forum to put it in. Well done!
Having beaten the game already, I can safely say that I had mixed feelings about it. There are minor spoilers, but nothing story-related.
From the very beginning, you are kept guessing about whose side you're really on. Are you working for the forces of good, or are you really being manipulated by the villains? The story has many shocking twists and provides lots of "I didn't see that coming" moments. In that regard, the story was well done and I was pleased at the end of it.
As you travel to find Lloyd, you slowly meet the cast of the first game, which I was really psyched about. Most will join you for a dungeon and then leave; others stay with you for much longer. You can use them in battle, but they don't gain experience; their level is set from the time they join from the time they leave.
You also are not allowed to control them on screen; it must always be Emil or Marta. You're also not allowed to remove Emil and Marta both from your party.
I went through nearly the entire game before learning that you can control the first game's cast in battle by simply switching your controlled character in battle. However, you must do this switch in every battle, and it got boring fast, even when I was just checking out their Mystic Artes.
While I'm on the subject of Mystic Artes: Radiant Roar, Marta's Mystic Arte, is broken. It almost makes the game too easy. Once you gain the ability to use it, you should never lose any battle. It does anywhere from 8-13,000 damage to all enemies and heals your whole party for about 2,000 HP.
This makes the game's bosses insanely easy. Many of them have Mystic Artes of their own, and rather than killing you outright, it brings anything it hits (which is usually your entire party) down to 1, which can be completely nullified by Radiant Roar. By waiting until these mega-skills fire to use Radiant Roar, you are effectively invincible.
Speaking of Marta, I controlled her for the entire game rather than Emil, and it was incredibly annoying having to reset my shortcuts every time she left my party (it happens A LOT). Even if she only leaves for a brief moment (read as: less than five minutes), the second she comes back, all my shortcuts were gone. My base moves were the same (the moves I set to control stick + B), but my D-pad and Wiimote shortcuts were erased.
I was disappointed to learn that Emil, Marta, and Tenebrae (to an extent) were the game's only new characters. After watching the introduction, you would think that the characters shown join your party (I was ultra psyched about using the girl), but they're actually villains. LAME. After learning that the Symphonia 1 cast don't gain experience, I didn't even bother using them - my party for 95% of the game consisted of Emil, Marta, and the same two monsters.
One of the biggest things I didn't like were the voices. While Emil is voiced by my hero, Johnny Yong Bosch, Lloyd, Sheena to an extent, and especially Zelos sound way different. Once you hear Zelos, especially in battle, you'll wonder if he might prefer ripped dudes over voluptuous hunnies.
The ability to use monsters is a neat change, except for one thing - you can't control them, ever. You're welcome to use three monsters and either Emil or Marta, but if your human dies, it's game over. Some monsters have inherent skills that can resurrect you upon death, but it only works once and it happens so fast that you might miss it happening. There is a monster battling arena in Meltokio where you can pit your monsters against other monsters, but joke's on you - you can't control them there, either.
Once the old cast starts joining you, you'll rarely be without at least one, so you don't have to use two monsters. The humans are more reliable than the monsters, they can actually be controlled, and they also have end-of-battle skits with themselves, Emil, and Marta. Whenever a monster kills the final enemy, it simply does a pose. No skit, ever.
Since I went so long without using the Tales of Symphonia 1 cast, I don't really know much about them in battle, and what I do know I can't say without invoking some heavy spoilers. By the time I learned you could use them, I was so used to using Marta that I didn't want to use anyone else.
The villains of the game look kinda silly - they wear bird masks over their eyes and shout things like, "FOR THE LIBERATION OF SYLVARANT!"
I would share the #1 thing I hate about ToS 2, but I consider it a big spoiler, so I can't.
All in all, however, it was an enjoyable game. My gripes could be considered minor, but it's my honest opinion of what the game was like.
Having beaten the game already, I can safely say that I had mixed feelings about it. There are minor spoilers, but nothing story-related.
From the very beginning, you are kept guessing about whose side you're really on. Are you working for the forces of good, or are you really being manipulated by the villains? The story has many shocking twists and provides lots of "I didn't see that coming" moments. In that regard, the story was well done and I was pleased at the end of it.
As you travel to find Lloyd, you slowly meet the cast of the first game, which I was really psyched about. Most will join you for a dungeon and then leave; others stay with you for much longer. You can use them in battle, but they don't gain experience; their level is set from the time they join from the time they leave.
You also are not allowed to control them on screen; it must always be Emil or Marta. You're also not allowed to remove Emil and Marta both from your party.
I went through nearly the entire game before learning that you can control the first game's cast in battle by simply switching your controlled character in battle. However, you must do this switch in every battle, and it got boring fast, even when I was just checking out their Mystic Artes.
While I'm on the subject of Mystic Artes: Radiant Roar, Marta's Mystic Arte, is broken. It almost makes the game too easy. Once you gain the ability to use it, you should never lose any battle. It does anywhere from 8-13,000 damage to all enemies and heals your whole party for about 2,000 HP.
This makes the game's bosses insanely easy. Many of them have Mystic Artes of their own, and rather than killing you outright, it brings anything it hits (which is usually your entire party) down to 1, which can be completely nullified by Radiant Roar. By waiting until these mega-skills fire to use Radiant Roar, you are effectively invincible.
Speaking of Marta, I controlled her for the entire game rather than Emil, and it was incredibly annoying having to reset my shortcuts every time she left my party (it happens A LOT). Even if she only leaves for a brief moment (read as: less than five minutes), the second she comes back, all my shortcuts were gone. My base moves were the same (the moves I set to control stick + B), but my D-pad and Wiimote shortcuts were erased.
I was disappointed to learn that Emil, Marta, and Tenebrae (to an extent) were the game's only new characters. After watching the introduction, you would think that the characters shown join your party (I was ultra psyched about using the girl), but they're actually villains. LAME. After learning that the Symphonia 1 cast don't gain experience, I didn't even bother using them - my party for 95% of the game consisted of Emil, Marta, and the same two monsters.
One of the biggest things I didn't like were the voices. While Emil is voiced by my hero, Johnny Yong Bosch, Lloyd, Sheena to an extent, and especially Zelos sound way different. Once you hear Zelos, especially in battle, you'll wonder if he might prefer ripped dudes over voluptuous hunnies.
The ability to use monsters is a neat change, except for one thing - you can't control them, ever. You're welcome to use three monsters and either Emil or Marta, but if your human dies, it's game over. Some monsters have inherent skills that can resurrect you upon death, but it only works once and it happens so fast that you might miss it happening. There is a monster battling arena in Meltokio where you can pit your monsters against other monsters, but joke's on you - you can't control them there, either.
Once the old cast starts joining you, you'll rarely be without at least one, so you don't have to use two monsters. The humans are more reliable than the monsters, they can actually be controlled, and they also have end-of-battle skits with themselves, Emil, and Marta. Whenever a monster kills the final enemy, it simply does a pose. No skit, ever.
Since I went so long without using the Tales of Symphonia 1 cast, I don't really know much about them in battle, and what I do know I can't say without invoking some heavy spoilers. By the time I learned you could use them, I was so used to using Marta that I didn't want to use anyone else.
The villains of the game look kinda silly - they wear bird masks over their eyes and shout things like, "FOR THE LIBERATION OF SYLVARANT!"
I would share the #1 thing I hate about ToS 2, but I consider it a big spoiler, so I can't.
All in all, however, it was an enjoyable game. My gripes could be considered minor, but it's my honest opinion of what the game was like.
Thanks for replying to my thread, guys. ://///
D master isn't giving the sequel enough praise. Although it has its faults, I consider it to be a worthy sequel. Despite a few unnecessary plots, the storyline is fantastic. It picks up right where the original left off and keeps you wanting more until you have uncovered the whole truth. The gameplays is top notch. The battle system is no longer linear, which gives the game a real 3D feel. One of my favorite things is the voice acting. Most of it is excellent and abundant. The change in voice actors for some of the characters hurts, but to be honest, the new ones sound similar to the originals. And 2 years have past, so Lloyd and co. are mostly adults now.
The monster system is a plus, but if I had to pick between the original cast members being fully customizable vs. the monster system, I would have chosen the former. However, there is a plethora of monsters out there to be accompanied by and evolve into different forms. The graphics are very good. The proportions of the characters are realistic, giving the game a much better feel. It was always weird looking at every character like they were a kid.
PMJ, I thought the villains were very good. Brute is a total menace when he's possessed with the insanity brought upon by Solum's Core. And I believe Richter is a more diverse character than Mithos. I replayed the original and now that I think about it, Mithos is not a cool villain. His counterpart Yggdrasill is; however, that is not his true form. Richter plays the role of a tragic hero more than Mithos as Mithos only has his really weird, childish laugh going for him. Alice and Decus are an interesting duo. The only villain that you can call lame is Hawk. He was a wimp and an idiot.
The map matches up 100% to Tales of Phantasia, which was nice to see. There are three endings, though not as elaborate as in the original. The only thing that does not match up to Tales of Phantasia is that Derris Kharlan is floating far, far away from the planet. If you play throug ha second time, you will be treated to a scene between Yuan and Kratos where they are beginning to break up due to the great distance between them. So there are many things we can ponder about the period in between Symphonia and Phantasia. Such as how Derris Kharlan comes back to the planet, who is Dhaos, and what happened to Kratos, etc.
I'm going to give this a full reviw, I think. I will post it on here and Smogon.
D master isn't giving the sequel enough praise. Although it has its faults, I consider it to be a worthy sequel. Despite a few unnecessary plots, the storyline is fantastic. It picks up right where the original left off and keeps you wanting more until you have uncovered the whole truth. The gameplays is top notch. The battle system is no longer linear, which gives the game a real 3D feel. One of my favorite things is the voice acting. Most of it is excellent and abundant. The change in voice actors for some of the characters hurts, but to be honest, the new ones sound similar to the originals. And 2 years have past, so Lloyd and co. are mostly adults now.
The monster system is a plus, but if I had to pick between the original cast members being fully customizable vs. the monster system, I would have chosen the former. However, there is a plethora of monsters out there to be accompanied by and evolve into different forms. The graphics are very good. The proportions of the characters are realistic, giving the game a much better feel. It was always weird looking at every character like they were a kid.
PMJ, I thought the villains were very good. Brute is a total menace when he's possessed with the insanity brought upon by Solum's Core. And I believe Richter is a more diverse character than Mithos. I replayed the original and now that I think about it, Mithos is not a cool villain. His counterpart Yggdrasill is; however, that is not his true form. Richter plays the role of a tragic hero more than Mithos as Mithos only has his really weird, childish laugh going for him. Alice and Decus are an interesting duo. The only villain that you can call lame is Hawk. He was a wimp and an idiot.
The map matches up 100% to Tales of Phantasia, which was nice to see. There are three endings, though not as elaborate as in the original. The only thing that does not match up to Tales of Phantasia is that Derris Kharlan is floating far, far away from the planet. If you play throug ha second time, you will be treated to a scene between Yuan and Kratos where they are beginning to break up due to the great distance between them. So there are many things we can ponder about the period in between Symphonia and Phantasia. Such as how Derris Kharlan comes back to the planet, who is Dhaos, and what happened to Kratos, etc.
I'm going to give this a full reviw, I think. I will post it on here and Smogon.
Oh, great. Kevin dug up this fail of a thread up. Your thread? So you say that you're DaUmbreonMaster? Yeah, ok, your thread.
I'm not giving the sequel praise? Oh, well excuse me for stating the pure facts. If you didn't agree with me before, then you'll believe me after this post. Fact: This game is one of the worst sequel games I've ever played. It hasn't added anything to the already failing Tales series, and it's a pure waste of $50, or however much it is to buy it. I will agree, it's a decent rent over a weekend, if you're interested.
The one thing I consider to be sacred in RPGs, especially high production valued ones, is the Story. This includes everything including the plot, the characters, and everything that has to do with the original, if the said RPG is a sequel. (Hey, look at that.) So naturally, my first real complaint is the voice acting. Honesty, it is bad, and it's so bad, that I needed to listen to music while they were talking. The original Tales, on the other hand, has superb voices. Old voices > New voices. The story and the dialogue is failed from the translation from Japanese to English, and that really hinders the presentation of this game. The music is downright aggrivating and I would've preferred listening to the Japanese voice track than this train wreck of a game. Clearly this is just one reason why you should play the original.
Further going off of the characters from the past game returning in this sequel, is that they have fixed experience and weapons. Very rapidly dissapointing in this sequel. Especially in a RPG, it should all be about choices, and this is a real flaw in this game.
The map is failed in this sequel as well. No exploration, just pointing where you want to go. Exploration is key in every RPG, and this just strips that down in favor of failed combat and a bad story. Rapidly listing off these faults really makes this game unenjoyable overall.
Motion controls fail when using Artes. Most of the time it doesn't even recognize which way you're swinging, and in the heat of combat, this is sure to frustrate and make you throw your remote at the screen; something I came very close to doing more than once while playing this pitiful game.
The game is too fast and too easy. 30 hours for an RPG is absolutely terrible. I wouldn't even call this an RPG, I'd call it a short Action game. The fact that a short RPG succeeds to capture anyone's attention I fail to see. It's too bad that people defend this game, because the faults in this game just goes on and on. And you'll hear every one.
The in-game graphics are no better than they were on Gamecube. Seriously, you want to buy this game for the pretty graphics? Think again, buy the original Tales and it'll be more fun than you'll ever have.
The linear quests and the monster hunting is feeling ever so dated. I think I've played this game 20 times over by now, in some incarnation. The real time battles are mildly cool, but that's all this game is. Plently of flaws left.
The story is unoriginal and uninspired. It's really a wonder to see people enthralled in this normal Japanese RPG story that doesn't stray too far from the original.
They removed the Lens that could let you see opponent's HP, so that's an issue. It's also really harder to backstep, as you constantly have to guard. Overall, the battle system is not polished at all, and I'd even recommend Tales of Vesperia on the Xbox 360 for a much better battle system.
There's no customization of the skills system as well. I'm starting to believe this isn't even a game when it doesn't offer anything to the player but only decent gameplay. I already talked about the lack of a walkable map, and that leads to an even bigger problem; no grinding. WHAT RPG DOESN'T ALLOW GRINDING? The missions don't make up for it either.
In fact, even though this is a direct sequel, you practically need to play the original, just to get a decent grasp on the story. If you have to play one to play the other, and one is better than the other, then don't play the worse one. It's common sense whent the story of a sequel ties too much tot he original.
The frame rate dips as soon as you see the game load up and start watching. This makes your first impression on the game dip as well.
The difficulty level is completely unbalanced in this game. Some fights are way too easy, and the Boss fights have you battling them for hours, trying to beat them, without getting wiped out to 1 HP. Not. Fun. At. All.
Because of the short length, the story seems rushed and you get overwhelmed with the number of plot twists and changes. Not a good idea for a starting player to get accustomed to a Tales game and especially not a beginner RPG.
I think that's enough faults for now. Don't buy this game PLEASE. I highly recommend you rent it first, so you don't waste your money. If, after playing, you like it, then buy the original. If you still want to buy this game after that, then do it, but please don't rush into buying this game, unless you play a real RPG first.
dmaster out.
I'm not giving the sequel praise? Oh, well excuse me for stating the pure facts. If you didn't agree with me before, then you'll believe me after this post. Fact: This game is one of the worst sequel games I've ever played. It hasn't added anything to the already failing Tales series, and it's a pure waste of $50, or however much it is to buy it. I will agree, it's a decent rent over a weekend, if you're interested.
The one thing I consider to be sacred in RPGs, especially high production valued ones, is the Story. This includes everything including the plot, the characters, and everything that has to do with the original, if the said RPG is a sequel. (Hey, look at that.) So naturally, my first real complaint is the voice acting. Honesty, it is bad, and it's so bad, that I needed to listen to music while they were talking. The original Tales, on the other hand, has superb voices. Old voices > New voices. The story and the dialogue is failed from the translation from Japanese to English, and that really hinders the presentation of this game. The music is downright aggrivating and I would've preferred listening to the Japanese voice track than this train wreck of a game. Clearly this is just one reason why you should play the original.
Further going off of the characters from the past game returning in this sequel, is that they have fixed experience and weapons. Very rapidly dissapointing in this sequel. Especially in a RPG, it should all be about choices, and this is a real flaw in this game.
The map is failed in this sequel as well. No exploration, just pointing where you want to go. Exploration is key in every RPG, and this just strips that down in favor of failed combat and a bad story. Rapidly listing off these faults really makes this game unenjoyable overall.
Motion controls fail when using Artes. Most of the time it doesn't even recognize which way you're swinging, and in the heat of combat, this is sure to frustrate and make you throw your remote at the screen; something I came very close to doing more than once while playing this pitiful game.
The game is too fast and too easy. 30 hours for an RPG is absolutely terrible. I wouldn't even call this an RPG, I'd call it a short Action game. The fact that a short RPG succeeds to capture anyone's attention I fail to see. It's too bad that people defend this game, because the faults in this game just goes on and on. And you'll hear every one.
The in-game graphics are no better than they were on Gamecube. Seriously, you want to buy this game for the pretty graphics? Think again, buy the original Tales and it'll be more fun than you'll ever have.
The linear quests and the monster hunting is feeling ever so dated. I think I've played this game 20 times over by now, in some incarnation. The real time battles are mildly cool, but that's all this game is. Plently of flaws left.
The story is unoriginal and uninspired. It's really a wonder to see people enthralled in this normal Japanese RPG story that doesn't stray too far from the original.
They removed the Lens that could let you see opponent's HP, so that's an issue. It's also really harder to backstep, as you constantly have to guard. Overall, the battle system is not polished at all, and I'd even recommend Tales of Vesperia on the Xbox 360 for a much better battle system.
There's no customization of the skills system as well. I'm starting to believe this isn't even a game when it doesn't offer anything to the player but only decent gameplay. I already talked about the lack of a walkable map, and that leads to an even bigger problem; no grinding. WHAT RPG DOESN'T ALLOW GRINDING? The missions don't make up for it either.
In fact, even though this is a direct sequel, you practically need to play the original, just to get a decent grasp on the story. If you have to play one to play the other, and one is better than the other, then don't play the worse one. It's common sense whent the story of a sequel ties too much tot he original.
The frame rate dips as soon as you see the game load up and start watching. This makes your first impression on the game dip as well.
The difficulty level is completely unbalanced in this game. Some fights are way too easy, and the Boss fights have you battling them for hours, trying to beat them, without getting wiped out to 1 HP. Not. Fun. At. All.
Because of the short length, the story seems rushed and you get overwhelmed with the number of plot twists and changes. Not a good idea for a starting player to get accustomed to a Tales game and especially not a beginner RPG.
I think that's enough faults for now. Don't buy this game PLEASE. I highly recommend you rent it first, so you don't waste your money. If, after playing, you like it, then buy the original. If you still want to buy this game after that, then do it, but please don't rush into buying this game, unless you play a real RPG first.
dmaster out.
PMJ
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You can view the HP and element of every monster you fight (even bosses) by simply pressing C (or whatever button it is that lets you switch targets).
@ d master Kevin is talking about this thread
@ kay gee I avoided your thread on purpose cause I hadn't beaten the game yet and wanted NO SPOILERS. ;o
@ d master Kevin is talking about this thread
@ kay gee I avoided your thread on purpose cause I hadn't beaten the game yet and wanted NO SPOILERS. ;o
It's not $50, dmaster. It's $39.99. And for that price, it's well worth it considering it's one of the only RPGs on the Wii, and not a bad one at that. Short length? I played through the game without sidequests, which are entertaining and go into more depth with the characters, and it ran me up 30+ hours. That is just about the same as the main story of Legendia and Phantasia. And the graphics are better in this game:
I am not trying to say it is better than the original. You are just selling the game short.
I am not trying to say it is better than the original. You are just selling the game short.
I'm not saying it's a bad game, or selling it short. I'm just saying there are better RPGs on every other system. Don't buy a Wii for this or any other current RPG on the system either. Fire Emblem fails on the Wii as well.
Anyway, I don't see much of a difference between the graphics. The GC game used the technology back then to the fullest, I don't see this game as a SSBB in terms of great cutscene graphics.
Ok, so $40. Still a waste. Rent first, Buy if you absolutely love it and it's the best RPG you've ever played. You must not have been very fast in the game then, KG. I still stand by saying it's a short game.
dmaster out.
Anyway, I don't see much of a difference between the graphics. The GC game used the technology back then to the fullest, I don't see this game as a SSBB in terms of great cutscene graphics.
Ok, so $40. Still a waste. Rent first, Buy if you absolutely love it and it's the best RPG you've ever played. You must not have been very fast in the game then, KG. I still stand by saying it's a short game.
dmaster out.
What did you do - scroll through all of the text and not hear it and use a walkthrough? And I never claimed it to be the best graphics the Wii could offer. It falls short of games like SSBB. I just said they were better than the original, which they are. The backgrounds in ToS1 are very flat, despite their shading and the environments are not as polished as the second (as you can see in the walls and other stuff behind the characters).
No, I just sped through the battles and it was easily beaten. I didn't do the lame sidequests either.
In fact, the GC Tales was pretty excellent in the graphics depertmant. The character models were superb, and the graphics are full of life and beauty. It is a shame playing it on a HDTV and the blobs on the World Map suck, but besides that, the lush environments and there is no framrate dip, and the background scenes are colorful and amazing. Yeah, not so spot on Kevin.
dmaster out.
In fact, the GC Tales was pretty excellent in the graphics depertmant. The character models were superb, and the graphics are full of life and beauty. It is a shame playing it on a HDTV and the blobs on the World Map suck, but besides that, the lush environments and there is no framrate dip, and the background scenes are colorful and amazing. Yeah, not so spot on Kevin.
dmaster out.
The only spot I noticed a huge framerate drop was Mizuho. That was pretty bad. >.>
What's your take on the voice acting? If Tales of Symphonia had 98% of the lines narrated like the second, it would be godlier than it was. I really missed that when I went back to the original after playing the second.
What's your take on the voice acting? If Tales of Symphonia had 98% of the lines narrated like the second, it would be godlier than it was. I really missed that when I went back to the original after playing the second.
No, the whole beginning of the game was bad with framerate as well.
I already expressed my opinion on the changed voice acting, and I have to say, it was a pretty big part for me. I'd give it less criticism if they had stayed with the original voices, but it would still be not worth it IMO, just with the unchanged formula of these Japanese RPGs.
dmaster out.
I already expressed my opinion on the changed voice acting, and I have to say, it was a pretty big part for me. I'd give it less criticism if they had stayed with the original voices, but it would still be not worth it IMO, just with the unchanged formula of these Japanese RPGs.
dmaster out.
At least we get a new mothership title on the Wii in 2009.
Of course its inferior. Vesperia is a mothership title and Dawn of the New World is a spin-off.