Tales of the Abyss

Another Tale
For those of you who have been keeping up. Tales of the Abyss is the most previous installment of the Tales series for the Playstation 2. I have always been a big fan of the Tales games for their fantastic story lines and unorthodox battle systems. After playing all of the other Tales games I have to say that Tales of the Abyss aims to please.

The Overview
The game starts out with you as Luke fon Fabre, the son of the Duke of Kimlasca. Kimlasca is one of the two major countries in the world that are at war with each other, Malkuth is the other. Luke finds himself in a predicament when a mysterious young woman tries to assassinate his Master in swordsmanship. Upon clashing swords with the young woman, her and Luke end up getting teleported out of his manor. Now Luke seeks to return home and is forced to ask for the help of the woman who attacked his Master. Will Luke ever return home and if he does will that be the end of his journey?

The Review
First off I have to say that this is one of my favorite games by far. The story line is epic and new which is something that really grabs my attention nowadays. The battle system is pretty much the same as the other Tales titles but with the addition of FOF or Fields of Fonons. Fonons are elements such as fire, water, wind, and so on. Utilizing these fields allows for an extensive tactical advantage in battle. I will tell you one thing, this game is not meant for those who do not like to read. There is a TON of reading in this game! This is also not a game for those who get bored with long games. This one will run you a good 50+ hours. As you play through the game there is many parts in it in which you think you're at the end. Well I have to say that you couldn't be more wrong. There are so many twists and turns in this game. When you think you know everything there is to it. the story mixes things up and makes you go, "What?! I did not see that coming"! For those who are fans of Tales of Symphonia, you'll love this. The boss fights are much harder and the enemy A.I. (Artificial Intelligance) on harder difficulties really makes this game a challenge. Plus, there is a ton of extras and side quests to be had in here. I guarantee that you could play through once and not get every single thing there is to be had. Overall, I loved this game and I still play it to this day. If you can get your hands on it then buy it. This game is just like Valkyrie Profile in the sense that only so many copies of the video game were shipped over here to the U.S. I give this game a definite 5 out of 5.

More information at Gamefaqs