Tales of Symphonia

I've actually finished this game almost a year ago and here are my impressions:

o Story: 8
o Characters: 9
o Gameplay: 9
o Graphics: 9
o Music/Sound: 8
o Replay Value: 10
o Lasting Impression: 9

I must say I really enjoyed this game fully. For me, the best things about this game are the gameplay and characters. The two really stood out and made the experience much more worthwhile. The story is great although a little confusing and typical, the graphics are amazingly edgy, and the replay value is incredibly high. Some parts of the game are really challenging, but once you get pass them, you will be well rewarded. This made it really rewarding to venture through some of the side quests. The voice actors did a great job and the theme music was really good as well. I will always remember this game and it is one title in which everybody needs to experience at least once.

The Final Verdict: 8.8

HAPPY NEW YEAR & Some Updates!

As I’m beginning to tackle my massive collection of video games, I think that it would be a good idea for me to come up with a system in which I rank the games that I’ve completed. Of course I’m no expert, so the ranking system will be based solely on my own feelings towards each game. As of right now I have decided to rank each game based on seven criteria: story (or something of the equivalent), characters, gameplay, graphics, music & sound, replay value, and lasting impression. However, not every criterion will be ranked equally in terms of percentage. For example, the story within a game is very important to me so it would be more heavily weighted than the graphics. The following are the percentage for each criterion based on how important I think each is:

Gameplay: 25%
Story: 25%
Characters: 20%
Graphics: 10%
Music & Sound: 5%
Replay Value: 10%
Lasting Impression: 5%
Total = 100%

I will give a score from 0 – 100 for each criterion and multiply that score by the percentage. Then each subtotal for every criterion will be added together to get a final score. I will round each score to the nearest tenth.
Now that you know the criteria, what does each mean? Here is the breakdown:

Gamplay: This includes the battle system or any mechanics in the game.
Story: The plot or purpose of the game.
Characters: How impactful are the characters? Are there a variety of characters?
Graphics: How stunning are the visuals?
Music & Sound: Is the music captivating? Are the voice actors believable?
Replay Value: Does the game make me want to relive the whole experience again?
Lasting Impression: What do I think of the game as a whole?

This is the system that I have created so hopefully I stick to it and starting tomorrow (hopefully), I will start writing my first review. On a side not, I wish everybody a safe and exciting new year. I can only wish that this New Year will be better than the last for everyone =)