Tales of The Abyss 3DS

Tales of the Abyss is a game that I always wanted to try, so I though I would borrow my buddy's 3DS, since I don't wanna pay for another glorified DS.  I've heard nothing but good things about the Tales series.  I got tired of hearing how good the game was so I decided to give it a shot.  


Presentation/Story:
The story follows red-haired, Luke Fon Fabre, on a long and illustrious journey.  I'm a little confused on what the story completely entails, but its pretty cool so far.  There are lots of characters in game that keeps you interested, with the man character being as boring as Vaan(FF XII).  Voice work was done by a talented group of American actors who did a solid job for the cutscenes.  The visuals look great on the 3DS, the vibrant colors really jump out of the screen right at you.  I don't mean that the 3D is good in the game, its ok.  I can't stand any kind of 3D on the 3DS, because of its poor implementation and frequent headaches.  I like the music in the game, not as much as a Lost Odyssey or Final Fantasy, but its good.

Core Gameplay:
The combat system is really fast-paced and my favorite part of the game.  I was surprised how action heavy the system was, it kept me engrossed with each battle.  You have an attack, a block and a skill button, and you can modify your actions by pulling the analogue in different directions.  There active and passive skills that open up gradually as you gain battle experience.  The way that characters' abilities develop and unlock is controlled by the Capacity Core that you equip them with.  You can give them Strength based Capacity Core and you'll gain battle skills quicker.  The AI is solid during the heat of battle, allies will heal you when needed and attack at will.  A problem I have with the game is that you have to figure most of the game out by yourself, the game has a hard time explaining what and how to do specific things.  This is the only real problem I had with the solid gameplay components.  

Final Thoughts:
Tales of the Abyss 3DS is a surprisingly impressive port of the PS2 game, I'm surprised they kept so much of the console's content.  Its a six year old game and at times it shows, but doesn't bring the game down at all.  This has gotten me interested in other Tales games, I want to see more from Namco Bandai and Team Symphonia.  

Final Score = 8/10

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