Tales of Destiny

"Easily the most underrated game ever."

Try as I might, I simply cannot help but be biased towards this game, as it was my first RPG. Thus, I owe my (not so) new-found love for RPGs to this game. This is one of the most underrated games I have ever seen. The graphics, gameplay, character development, music/sound, replay value, overall fun factor, and just about everything are excellent.

A good story may be one of the few things it’s lacking, however. The main story itself isn’t great, but this is more than made up for by the alarming number of great sub-stories surrounding it.

Gameplay - One of the best things about it. It has a Star Ocean 2-esque battle system. That is, an interactive one. You can move your characters about the battle, dodge physical attacks, etc.

As with most RPGs, controls do not play a huge factor in the game. But for your convenience, the controls are customizable.

Story - As said earlier, the story is pretty lacking. Fairly cliche. But there are a few good points about it. For instance, this game introduces something known as “Swordians“. Talking, breathing...living swords. This makes the game much more fun, simply because the Swordians contribute a great deal to the dialogue. Plus, the thought of a talking sword just makes it that much more entertaining.

Another notable thing about the story is the various sub-stories that branch off the main one. Most of these (most, not all) are very fun and original. Occasionally, you’ll find one that you can swear you had seen earlier in the game, but this rarely is the case.

Audio - Yuck...the voices are utterly horrible. After 20 minutes, you’ll probably find yourselves turning off the game, simply because of them. So, that’s why Namco has included the option to turn the voices off. And, for the love of God, do so. If you really want to hear your every action announced in a very loud and annoying fashion, you can. But...no.

Other than the voices, the rest of the audio is fair. Nice music. It seems to go well with the settings.

Graphics - Well...if good graphics mean a lot to you, then you might have trouble with this game. However, I personally enjoy the 2-dimensional graphics. But, you really should learn to overlook them, as the rest of the game is definitely worth playing.

Replay Value - This is one thing that sets this game apart from other RPGs. Despite it being an RPG, this game has great replay value. Lots of side quests, including ones where you must choose between two things. Sort of like Final Fantasy 9 in that way.
Rent or Buy? - This depends. I rarely buy games. I usually just rent them until I am done and satisfied with the game. The late fees usually end up being less than 50 bucks, anyway. But if you do have 50 dollars to spend, I would recommend buying it. You may want to play it again later.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/16/02, Updated 08/16/02