Tales Of The Abyss (Nintendo 3DS)

Tales of the Abyss is a typical JRPG from Namco, but make no mistake typical doesn't mean mediocre.

Japanese rpgs (the serious ones) have been a staple for some years and easily in league and sometimes better than the American counterparts, simply due to the amount of depth, story and various other ideas in these games.

Tales of the Abyss is a PS2 port for the 3ds and as far as I can tell is unchanged from the original - except for faster loading times (due to the cart)entire game from the dvd disc to cart (although padding removed in-mind/compression) shrinks nicely for play anytime, anywhere compared to putting in and starting up a disk on the traditional console.

The game's story might seem simple from the outset; boy wakes up, boy learns his fate, travels with party to right the evils of the world etc. But how it accomplishes that along the way is brilliant; clocked in 40hrs, for all events so far. Of course being a JRPG there is a lot text and dialogue (and skits, unique to this series of games) which balances thoughts and situations of the PC's and NPC's.

The weapon based attack and magic system works really well, and not until half way through do you see the results of levelling up fairly high, with bigger attack and magic damage from what they call fonic artes (magic system), again depth here with fonic rings; which allow different battle tactics and effects/animations etc while fighting within the fast paced flowing fights - this isn't typical turn based JRPGs, which again sets this game apart from the rest.

Other things to note:

Recipes - for survival and healing
Frequent Save Points - in the right places (towns, dungeons)
Map - although you get a complete map of the world after about two thirds the way through, other areas gradually are revealed/unlocked as new locations come in discussions/events
Character growth and levelling - not the usual stuff, some things are specific to each character and scenarios (events/sub-events)
Fighting System - various attacks, super attacks and ultimate attacks - from base moves, combined with strength of fonic slots/chambers/rings
Huge world - which opens up some places further into the story that you couldn't access earlier in the game - requires higher/extended playthrough or cleared file playthrough
Fairly difficult and large bosses
and tons more...

The 3ds's power is put to good use, showing what it is capable of with a port from a previous generation console, but being a port noticeable slowdowns on the map occur and slightly during battles (but not as bad as map) - but this reported from the PS2 originally, so not the 3ds's fault.

All of this make a compelling and brilliant game from the PS2 days right to today, especially for those who never got a chance to play the game in the first instance (like me). I would say the game's original Amazon price was worth it, but obviously due to selling well(?), price has risen a bit too high.

Give this game a go you won't be disappointed.

Tales of the Abyss 3DS is a port of one of the finest Japanese RPGs from the PS2 era, developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco Bandai. This is also the first time Europe has gotten the game since the original was only released in Japan and America.

Tales is a series which has garnered a niche following overseas but also has one of the highest production values for a niche game which makes it a difficult game to make a profit from but even while Namco has seemingly given up on the series at several points during the series' history, they always come back with some new games which they will released in the west.

Tales of the Abyss 3DS is a standard JRPG in that you'll be playing this for 40+ hours with the main story, side quests and all the other extras that people have come to expect from this series however if you are American or imported the game from America then don't expect any real changes as it's just a straight port with a few differences which I'll get to later.

The story is you're usual save the world story line and while some can argue for or against the story, it is the character development which drives the storyline and Tales of titles are particularly famous for their character driven stories.

In Tales of the Abyss you start off as Luke Fon Fabre, son of the Duke and Duchess of Baticul but through chance, you end up in a forest with Tear and have to find your way back to Baticul. Tales of the Abyss is very character driven and features some of the best character development, particularly with the main character that I've seen in a game.

Graphically, the game hasn't changed much from it's PS2 debut but it has been updated enough to look good on the 3DS. It is an anime styled game but even if you don't like anime but you enjoy Japanese RPGs then you should be able to look past the anime style graphics otherwise you would be missing out on a great game.

The game features Karma by Bump of Chicken as the opening theme and it is the same as the American one which means no lyrics and instead there is an extra guitar in place of where the lyrics would be in the song. The game features a well done OST with plenty of music which is enjoyable to listen to throughout the game. The games soundtrack was composed mostly by Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura but a few songs were composed by Motoo Fujiwara.

The game features a variety of different gameplay elements, in battle you have your artes which are your battle skills and you have your normal attacks. You also have something called Field of Fonons which is created when someone uses an elemental attack and it creates a circle on the ground which changes certain attacks that you use when you are in the circle to an attack of that element. The battle system is also real time based and not turn based so if you're expecting something similar to Final Fantasy then think again.

You also have skills which are not the same as artes, these skills once learned can be used in battle. This was also the first time free run (which many who played it will remember from Tales of Vesperia) was in the series and it is a skill itself. Once you learn it, you can use it in battle and free run around the field rather than be stuck in a left or right direction which you are until you learn it.

The differences between the PS2 and 3DS versions aren't much, for example the skits are still unvoiced as it would have cost a bit to get all the voice actors back and voice all the skits since they aren't voiced in the original.

In battle you now have the bottom screen at your disposal and can put artes from either yourself or others to use in battle at the touch of the screen which can be useful especially when you start learning about Field of Fonons. The bottom screen can also be used now to open the menu and it displays other menu information on the bottom screen.

The 3D effect is subtle but also well done, especially when you see the text boxes and on the title screen itself. There is no real slowdown from what I could gather and the loading times which was the biggest complaint of the PS2 versions are much better so if you wanted to replay Tales of the Abyss but don't want to deal with the loading times, if you have a 3DS then this is the answer to your problems.

In short, if you are a Japanese RPG fan and live in Europe then this is a must own title. If you live in America and haven't played it or don't wish to deal with the loading times on the PS2 version then I would again recommend this title to you.

9/10

Having trouble getting into the latest generation of JRPGs? Then I suggest picking up this gem for the 3DS. Living in the UK, this has been my first chance to play this game, and I can honestly say that it is the best JRPG I have played in many a year and one of the best ever.

Being a port of a PS2 game ( and in my opinion, the console that offered the best in JRPGs ) you have a chance to play this classic once more.

This game has everything that you could possibly ask for in a good JRPG:

* A fantastic story that is the winning combination of excitement, adventure, humour, friendship, sorrow and generally everything that you would come to expect from a story, that is both willing and capable of drawing you in and winning your heart and involvement.

* You have memorable characters that you grow to love over time, all with interesting backgrounds, memorable personalities. And I must say, this game sports some of the best voice acting I have heard in a very long time.

* An easy, yet fun to use battle system that will make fighting a pleasure and not a chore.

* At least 60 hours of game play, even without embarking on any missions. If you chose to complete side quests and such, you are guaranteed hours more.

* You have a brilliant set of villains, who actually have depth and you can actually feel something for.

* Even on a small screen, this game loses no feeling or excitement or emotion. It works beautifully on the 3DS and the controls are comfortable.

I cannot honestly praise this game enough. As someone who has found it somewhat difficult getting into the swing of current RPGs, it was a pleasure to have the chance to play such a classic and traditional game, without needing a device to step back in time and change where I live lol.

This is a wonderful, wonderful game that gives the player so much enjoyment. The story is brilliant. The characters are brilliant. I can't honestly remember the last time I have played a game and felt this much involvement. It is a real treat. So whether you miss the lay out and play out of the classics, or just want a game you can really appreciate, this game is for you.

Buy it. Enjoy it. And see and be reminded of exactly what a good game should be.