I hadn't heard of the 'Tales of' series before seeing a little blip about Symphonia waaaay back last console generation. I thought, "Hey, this looks ok and I'm in the mood for an RPG so let's go."
Now it's one of, if not, the most favorite game I have and easily my favorite RPG series I've played. Mass Effect, Final Fantasy... both great... but not Tales to me.
Tried that later when I had that mood for a new RPG and picked The Last Remnant off the shelf. Needless to say that was trade in credit within a couple days. I'm a bit hesitant to buy games on a whim like that anymore. Especially strapped for cash with college n all.