Yuuki's Tales of Legendia (PS2)

Hello again readers! Long time no see, I have returned to do the Review of Tales of Legendia. Let me start by saying I'm a big fan of the Tales series and I have high expectations for each installment. This was again a great game in a great series. Taking place on a giant moving island/ship called the legacy and revolving around the racial wars between the people of the land and the people of the sea. You take on the role of the Hero Senel, and a cast of 7 others ranging from a perky treasure hunter to and oblivious demi-goddess. So let's begin.

Story: This again another great plot. Senel starts out traveling with his sister Shirley on a boat. They soon find themselves shipwrecked on a giant moving Island called the Legacy which is actually an ancient ship. Shirley becomes ill after being exposed to sea water which she is deathly allergic to. Then like the typical dumb damsel she gets kidnaped and the insanity of trying to get her back ensues. The bulk of the game consist of you trying to get Shirley back as everyone is trying to use her as a weapon due to her hidden powers. Along the way you'll meet the rest of the cast. The story is good and moved along well by nice cut scene and decent flash backs. 4/5

Gameplay: If you've played a Tales game you know the gameplay pretty well already as it hasn't changed much. Battles are fun and consist of simply either punching your foes to death or using your special attacks called Eres to extra damage. At any point you can switch your active character to one of you teammates. You can also set the R2 and L2 to commands for having your teammates do specific special attacks. Link them properly and you can rack up giant combos. Simple and functional no unnecessary quirks to slow you down. 5/5

Graphics: A marvel to look at, the game is freaking pretty. Character designs are bright and vibrant. Talking scenes are usually accompanied by anime style graphic equipped with facial expressions and everything. Ares and detailed and just nice to look at. Spells and special attacks all seem a bit familiar but are none the less cool to look at. Add in some nicely animated cut scenes at the end of each chapter and you have a graphically great game. 5/5

Audio: Voice acting can be hit or miss. Sometimes it was really on and I loved it other times it was laughable. It was nice to give most of the conversation actual sound though as it gave the characters depth. Battle and field music was well done including vocal songs for some areas that were so nice I just wanted to sit there and be sung to sleep. Nicely timed SE, BGM, and the voice acting was actually good for the most part. 4/5

Replay: From what I can tell there was no game plus option but I wouldn't be surprised by it. The story and character development was good and worth playing through a second time. I know I plan to. If you’re a fan of the series you'll no doubt wanna play this one at least twice. 4/5

Overall: This is a really good game. The battles never feel drawn out or over balanced. Characters are fun and you'll quickly ind yourself wrapped up in each of their unique stories and how they intertwine. The music is enchanting and will only serve to further intoxicate you. Throw in those nice anime cut scenes and the great jokes and other silliness and you'll be absorbed into this great Tale. 5/5