Tales of Legendia [PS2]

At one point in time, every RPG release was like a rare flower blossoming for all to adore. As gaming has become more popular, the role-playing genre has become a veritable field of dandelions as a result -- with so many new games popping up, that it's easy to not even notice them. Namco's Tales series has done better than most at grabbing the attention of RPG aficionados, and Tales of Legendia is its first bloom on PS2.

Legendia fits right in with its gaming ancestors. Its trademark feature is real-time combat from a side-scrolling perspective. It was unique when Tales of Destiny hit the PSone, and it's still unique now. Controlling the main character and having a say in his AI allies is much preferred to old-school, turn-based battling and runs neck-and-neck with the real-time 3D of titles like Star Ocean and Radiata Stories. The Tales brand of battling is the RPG equivalent of a box of Arm & Hammer: It keeps the game's combat fresh long after the competition goes stale.

Legendia's wealth of special moves (through things called eres), tactical options, and performance bonuses make gameplay more enchanting. At the same time, one can complain that your AI allies have a tough time keeping up with the pace, and it's a pain to halt action to cast a healing spell. You'll run into a few puzzles, but their simple nature ensures that they add nothing to the overall experience. Legendia's brand of action begs for multiplayer, which sadly Namco doesn't give us.

Another Tales staple is odd character designs. It's really hard to take the protagonists in Legendia seriously -- main character Senel looks like the world's biggest Ziggy Stardust fan, while mentor Will is sporting a skin-tight orange getup with blue circular things all over. The voice work doesn't help endear you to these folks, either, as it's average at best.

Somehow, you still get attached to the characters. It may be because of Legendia's story, which while cliched still piques your curiosity. Senel and his sister get shipwrecked on an island that turns out to be a massive, ancient ship. Everyone thinks your sibling is a prophesized ruler, and the evidence may have you guessing, too.