One thing both the GameCube and the Xbox have been lacking in is solid Role-Playing Games. Now, with a little help from Namco, the GameCube is about to receive one of the most anticipated RPGs of the year, Tales of Symphonia. We had a chance to sit down with localization producer Nao Higo over at Namco Hometek, and ask him a few questions about this tale of Tales. We'd like to thank Nao Higo, Namco Hometek, and all those involved in arranging this interview.

GameDAILY: Why is the title a GCN-exclusive in America? Is there any chance of the PS2 version releasing outside of Japan?

Nao Higo: Right now we are focused on the GameCube for the U.S. We feel that GameCube owners are in need of a great RPG like Tales of Symphonia so we are concentrating on fulfilling that need.

GD: ESRB.org lists an Xbox version of Tales of Symphonia. Has an error been made, or will Xbox owners finally receive the RPG they've been waiting for?

NH: This is a mistake. There are currently no plans to bring Tales of Symphonia to Xbox. (Sorry Xbox fans out there).

GD: Roughly how much total voice work (minutes, hours) is in the title? Is there an option to keep the original Japanese voices, or have they been removed?

NH: It's really hard to say exactly how many hours of voiceovers are in the game, but there are over 10,000 lines of voiced dialogue in the game. The Japanese voices have been removed due to space issues.

GD: If you start a single player quest, can friends join in later during the battles?

NH: You can use the multiplayer battles at anytime. This means you can set it for multiplayer when ever your friends come over, while still enjoying the game when you're playing by yourself.

GD: What other RPGs influenced the team when making ToS?

NH: The team looks at almost all the RPGs that come out on the market to see what the competition is doing.

GD: If the game succeeds, can we expect to see other Tales titles hit the GameCube and U.S. market?

NH: Absolutely. We're hoping that Tales of Symphonia will establish a solid fan base so that we can bring other games from the Tales franchise to the U.S.

GD: The side conversations that characters can have at different times -- approximately how many are there, total? Since so many of them are there for humor, was there trouble localizing the text (changing jokes, etc)?

NH: There are ~300 face skits in the game. The jokes were changed in order to make sense in English. But in Zelos' case, the jokes had to be toned down a tad bit because he can be a bit...vulgar at times. Don't worry though, his personality still comes through!

GD: How robust is the game's cooking system? Does it work like a magic spell, or are ingredients required? What kind of range is there in the items that can be created?

NH: The game's cooking system allows the characters to recover immediately after the battles are over. This is advantageous because in some battles, you do not have the opportunity to recover your characters before entering the next battle. Also, some dishes offer additional effects such as boosted offense/defense, which will give you an advantage in the next battle you fight.

Each character adds his/her own ingredients to the dishes, which change the amount of HP/TP you recover. Moreover, each character has likes/dislikes that affect how they respond to the dish.

GD: What is there to do besides the main quest? Are there any minigames, optional bosses, lengthy side quests, or anything of that nature?

NH: There are tons of side quests in the game. In fact, if you want to complete all the side quests in the game, it'll take you more than 100 hours. There's even an extra dungeon in the game with a very tough boss.

GD: There is a Japanese anime based on the PSone title, Tales of Eternia. Do you think Tales of Symphonia will branch out into any other entertainment mediums beyond gaming?

NH: There are numerous comics and books out in Japan, and there's even a plan to release a "Drama CD" of ToS. But currently, there are no plans to bring these out in the U.S.

GD:What's next for you once Tales of Symphonia releases next month?

NH: I'm now working on the U.S. version of Xenosaga Episode II. Yes, back-to-back RPG goodness.

We'll have a full review of Tales of Symphonia as the mid-July release date swiftly approaches.