Tales of Symphonia has a lot going for it. If the near-finished build we played is any indication, GameCube owners will have the first true RPG to grace the system in far too long.

Gamers take on the role of Lloyd Irving, a typically brash young hero. Lloyd's friend, Collet Brunel, is supposedly "the chosen one" who can help restore the mana (life force) that appears to be mysteriously vanishing from the planet. Collet is the only person who can activate the sacred seals, which (I'm sure you already guessed) is extremely necessary to ensure everyone (and everything) doesn't die.

The storyline isn't quite that simple, however. Lloyd and co. soon discover their world is bound to an alternate world which has been eating up all of the precious mana. When one world prospers, the other slowly dies.

Namco has done a fantastic job localizing the title. The already engaging storyline is enhanced by a colorful and believable cast of voice actors, and their work appears to be very extensive. Also adding to the package are optional "side events" that can be triggered at certain points during the quest by pressing Z. These play out in a very similar manner to the events found in Final Fantasy 9 or the dinner conversations in Grandia. Not watching them won't cause you to miss anything important, but the conversations often end up with genuinely amusing results, and they do a great job of fleshing out the characters.

Although the graphics are very attractive and the localization seems above average, the battle system is the title's true draw. It can often become a button-mashing affair, but the battles didn't grow old during our time with the title. The control scheme during the fully real-time battles seems more like a fighting game than an RPG. The A button is assigned to standard attacks, and the B button for "techs" (spells & other abilities). Either button and a direction will change up what attack your character performs.

Good timing will result in critical hits, rewarding gamers with additional damage. In the beginning that might be all you need to progress, but gamers will eventually have to start utilizing X to defend. Coolest of all, uber-powerful special attacks can be launched with the Z button.

Thankfully, the title's AI is extremely customizable. Since you're controlling only one character directly, nothing is more frustrating than the rest of your party acting stupidly and resulting in your defeat. They can be set to heal, defend, be aggressive, and more. Although we haven't progressed to the later stages of the quest, the team AI hasn't hampered our progress so far.

The game is still an RPG at heart, despite all the action during combat. MP is still consumed when special attacks are used, and the action can be halted to access a menu anytime. As characters level up, new techs can be learned and assigned to the B button as well.

Tales of Symphonia isn't flawless, however. The overworld is, well, boring. Paths through the grassland, streams, and mountains are all rendered in 3D without much thought paid to art direction or detail. Really though, that's our only major complaint with the title. The dungeon, town, and character designs are all well done, and the original score (with some new additions to the American version) rounds out the already-great aural experience.

The massive two-disc title is releasing in just a few short weeks, and RPG fans should look out for it come July 13th. The title retains much of what draws people to the RPG genre, such as an engaging storyline and fun character growth system, while giving the battles a swift kick in the ass. The addition of several minigames and multiplayer gameplay should ensure the title has plenty of replay value, to boot. GameCube owners won't want to miss out.