I can understand the fandom the Tales series has, but the gushing in this thread is completely unnecessary. I've played every Tales game (and finished only 4 of them- Symphonia, Destiny, Phantasia, Abyss)- and for what its worth- they are good to great at best. The review scores, sales numbers, and critical reception will give you an idea to gauge what the series is worth.
Tales has, and always will be, a second tier RPG. It caters to a particular audience. It isn't as niche as say a Disagaea, or any of the Nippon Ichi titles, however, its still not a million seller in any sense of the word.
My frustration with this thread begins with fanboys who claim the game will never come out on another console (you know who I'm talking about- are you really that dense?), people acting as if this game is the gemstone in the RPG caveat for the 360 (that belongs to Final Fantasy XIII and Mass Effect), and as if suddenly this game will end the HD console war in Japan.
I've lived in Japan for 6 months for a semester of school. Most people here have no idea what the lifestyle is over there. I am garunteeing you this, half of those 360s will be traded back in immediately. Same goes for the PS3s. Until and unless they shrink the sizes of the respective consoles down - or - they figure a way to truly captivate the imagination of the audience (Wii Sports and potentially Little Big Planet), there will be deadpan in the region.
Namco is intelligent- they like money, they know their boundaries, and will take money hats when they can get them. The game will end up on the PS3. Tales of Symphonia 2 will come out in the USA (only I am garunteeing you it sucks- I'm playing it right now). Finally, the HD RPG console war will not be decided by this game. These proxy battles people bicker about are pointless. I can point out Valkyria Chronicles (an RPG that has been extremely well previewed), White Knight Story (by Level 5- who are positioning themselves as the next Square Enix), and Fire Emblem on the Wii. In the end, this game is destned for multiplatform love, unlike those three above.
Console Agnostic since 2001.
