Game Review: Tales of Legendia

When it comes to action RPGs, Namco's Tales series delivers when it comes to creating a fun and interactive RPG experience.

The latest entry into the Tales series, Tales of Legendia, revolves around the exploits of young brawler Senel Coolidge. The story starts when he and his sister, Shirley Fennes, are washed aboard an island. Shirley, in classic damsel in distress fashion, goes M.I.A. and it is up to Coolidge to get her back. Along the way, Senel meets various characters and allies to aid him on his adventure, such as Will Raynard, town sheriff and anthropologist, and Chloe Valens, a noble knight on a journey of vengeance and redemption.

The battle system implemented in Legendia is the Linear Motion Battle System (LMBS), unlike the previous entrant, Tales of Symphonia. Utilizing LMBS means that you move in a straight line during combat. The battles in Legendia play like a stripped-down Street Fighter. You have your standard attack and special attack. In many cases, not much strategy is involved in most of the battles, just your old fashioned element weakness and ground-and-pound tactics.

The look in Legendia differs vastly from Symphonia in that the cel-shaded graphics are dumped in favor of polygonal designs and semi SD (super-deformed) on screen characters, almost akin to Final Fantasy VII. This doesn't mean that the environments and locales are ugly, though.

As with any game, Legendia isn't without its share of flaws. Sometimes, you are plagued with random battles when trying to get to a certain location or trying to accomplish a certain task. Also, though the story is well written and executed, there are some plot details that one can see coming from a mile away.

All in all, Tales of Legendia has something to offer everyone who is willing to give it a shot. Great story and battles are only a tip of the iceberg in this game experience.

Final Score: 8/10