Quite a challenging,but refreshing change of pace for the Tales veterans out there.
The battle system,in particular has sustained a number of choice;it eschews some staples like TP and the more recent Free Run and adds far more depth into combat than any other Tale before it(such as side-stepping,charging your attacks,switching between fighting styles,or needing points for combos,to keep it short).It might be difficult,especially for those used to the older Tales,to get used to the combat,but in the end,it's the deepest and most refreshing combat in the franchise as of yet.It's also important to note that there is no loading at all before,during OR after battle,also making everything feels more fluid. With the big changes in the combat comes the huge spike in difficulty of battles.Monsters are now far more dangerous than before and can actually pose a threat.Button mashing,no longer being an option,you need to be careful in each battle.Quite a few bosses gain nasty new tricks including spawning minions and it gets worse from there...
The difficulty is nice addition to the series as it adds a need to play smarter.
However not everything is perfect,as the game feels slightly more linear than the Tales before it as there is a less to explore(as both the Overworld (somewhat) and Sorcerer's Ring are gone)and the dungeons feels much more bland as a result.More importantly,the game is rather short for a Tales game,even with the extra Arc (probably about 60 hours).The plot,while still great,suffers from this;many interesting plot points weren't explored (or at least,not as much as it could be) and most characters outside the main cast (even the major antagonists) don't get enough screentime for us to really care about their story and their fate.Some might also dislike the Childhood arc for how long it is,compared to how short the rest of the game is(though it does help establish the main characters better and see how they've grown to adults.)
Even with these shortcomings,this game stays quite good and an excellent addition to the series,though,it will appeal to the longtime fans the most.Every fan should get their hands on it,in wait for Xillia to hit America as well...
Pros:
+Great,expressive graphics
+Best combat system in a Tales game yet.
+Battles stay generally challenging even late in the game.
+The Future Arc really completes the game
+Plenty of ways of customizing your party
+Plenty of sidequests as well.
+Character interaction is great,notably most skits.
Cons:
-Barring some highlights,music is unexceptional for a Tales game
-Not enough field or dungeon exploration
-The story is slightly above average,at best.
-Underwhelming Coliseum mode