This game is not to be passed up if you love RPG's!
When I first started out Tales of the Abyss I knew nothing about it, only that it was a tales game, so that was fine with me. The opening sequence is like all other Tales games, a brilliant artistic and musical masterpiece. You start this game off like most tales games. You don't play the main character, you are them, and you learn about them deeply. In this tales game you play as Luke Von Fabre a sone of a Noble who is stuck at home in his mansion with nothing to do but day dream about leaving. Your a very sheltered teenager with little knowledge of the world around you. But that all changes after one fateful event.
The game play of Tales of Abyss is brilliant. It's a real time game, that involves strategy and patience. It's an RPG that plays like a fighter game, but be careful you still have to know what your doing or the simplist battle can be the most difficult for you. All fights are vibrant and have an authentic feeling to them, which is far different from the Turnbase eliments of games like Final Fantasy (yeah I play that too). You really feel like your characters are fighting along with you. There is no robotic feel as they shout and yell in battle with you.
The story of the game is very well thought out and written, but I admit the complexity of it can be very confusing. That is probably the only downside of the game. The game is heavily based around the science of a fictional world, so you have to understand how the world runs to understand the science behind it. There are alot of interesting subjects that add a sort of innocent realism to the game like politics, religion, self awareness, etc. However the story is told a beatul and well thought out tale.
The game took me about 120 hours to complete 95% of its content and side quest, but every step of the way was fun and exciting. It's one of those games that make you feel like you just lost a friend once you beat it and turn off the Playstation. There is even an Anime of the game airing in already that takes you even further into the details of the story and the characters.
Speaking of the Characters! Tales of The abyss has some of the most unforgetable characters that you will ever play in a game. YOU WILL, and I mean YOU WILL get attatched to some of the *cough* (Jade) as you play the game. You get to take a detailed look at the personal story of your party so that you understand exactly why they are there fighting with you and what their hopes and dreams are. It really makes the game feel that much more complete.
OVerall I would say that Tales of the Abyss is the most complete game I have ever played, the gamepaly, story, and detail are worth adding this to your collection if you come across it! This is a game that is well worth playing!!!