Topic: Fire Emblem / Tales of Symphonia - GameCube

Hi
This is my first thread so go easy.
I have recently purchased an absolute shedload of GameCube games, and there are two I want for to finish my collection but I need to justify buying them as I have never played them. The games are Fire Emblem and Tales of Symphonia. Have any of you played these games? Do you consider them to be 'must own' titles? I am having trouble deciding.
Cheers
Dan

Short answer: Yes. ESPECIALLY Tales of Symphonia.

Long answer...well, I'll get back to you on that one.

I haven't played much of FE, but ToS I can vouche for. While the story downright sucks, the world of Symphonia was amazing. I loved the characters, the music, the artstyle, the dungeons, the lore, and even though the story was mostly predictable, I was still compelled to go on to see what new tid-bits I'll find, what antics the characters will get wrapped up in, what new boss fight I'll face, etc.

The gameplay is also a strong feature, featuring some intense, yet still somewhat strategic action-role playing, oh and with no random battles. The dungeons are fun to go through, and feature a varied amount of puzzles and loot. As for the AI, it's some of the best I've seen in an RPG, and you can set them any way you want. Several different formations, dozens of AI patterns - You wanna save a certain amount of MP for the boss? 1/3, 2/3, 3/3? You name it, you got it. Your options are limitless. You still don't like the AI? Grab a friend and play co-op, or set all the characters to Manual and control them all at once!

Really, it's an incredibly well-made game, one of the best on the Gamecube, and I highly recommend you pick it up.

For Fire Emblem, it all depends on whether you are a fan of RPGs, turn-based strategies, chess, and games with long dialogue between the characters.
If you are a fan, then you should get FE:PoR asap. If you are not, then you should avoid it at all costs.

Ive played every Fire Emblem game (imported them all), I love everyone of them! As for the "Tales" series you need to watch because alot of them are just awful and this is coming from vetern of the series, Tales Of Symphonia was probly one of the worst games Ive ever played. I recommend Tales of the Abyss it was way better!!!!