I would recommend Tales of Vesperia.
I have not played Sonata, I was interested, but wasn't sure about it. I have it on my Amazon wish list. While it is not a high priority it is something I keep my eye just in case.
There are things in the Tales Series I like: Movement in fighting, skits (character interactions), side quests, replay value - after you beat the game, you get game points to "purchase" skills, such as 2x experience points and etc..) and other things
With Tales of Vesperia, from the little gameplay I saw (friend owns an Xbox & Vesperia) I enjoyed the characters and the story.
Am I correct in assuming you are referring to the xbox versions sold on newegg, rather than the PS3 versions?