Tales of the Abyss is going to be a new addition to the Tales series and will be on the PS2. I've checked out a ton of videos of the Japanese version and the gameplay looks amazing. I also wanted to check the voice acting since Namco doesn't always have the best choice in voice actors. Nothing special, but you can expect much better VAs than in Tales of Symphonia.
I have no clue about the dialogue, but as far as I can tell, the story seems promising. It seems a lot more mature than ToS, at the very least.
Like most tales games, there's still a lot of features being kept, like skits, cooking, titles, grade, AD skills, and coliseum. The battle system is a lot like Tales of Symphonia, where you have a huge 3D battlefield, only this time your character doesn't have to travel in a straight line. The battle mechanics are slightly different too. Elements have changed a bit too. I can't really describe it, so I'll quote Wikipedia. "The game features many skills and spells to unleash upon enemies. The most interesting addition to the system in this department is the "Field of Fonim" ("Fonon" in English) (FOF). Whenever an elemental spell or skill is performed, a circle will appear on the ground corresponding to the used element. Once that element has been used enough times, the circle will light up to signify that a FOF is available. If a character now stands in the circle and performs the correct skill or spell, this will be transformed into a much more powerful elemental version. Using FOF is central to the battle system and should be mastered early. Beware though, as enemies can also make use of the circles in order to power up their attacks." Hi-ougis are back too. You know, the really strong skills the characters can use under certain conditions. There's more of them too, and they can be used more often. Unfortunately, they may take out a load of them in the English version like they did Tales of Symphonia.
The playable characters are:[COLOR=#cc9999]
Luke fone Fabre: Like the other male protagonists in the Tales series, he's going to be another swordsman.
Tear Grants: She'll have some healing, but also a lot of light-element spells. She's the main heroine in TotA.
Jade Curtiss: The black mage! Loads of elemental attacks. Also, he uses a spear and stuff, so it's very possible that he won't be just a generic black mage type and will actually fight melee too.
Anise Tatlin: She fights with dolls... Sounds a lot less boring than the other characters!
Guy Cecil: He's basically Luke's best friend. I guess he's a swordsman too, only more ninja-like.
Natalia Luzu Kimuelasca Lanvaldear: Has a long name. Also, she's Luke's fiancée. She uses a bow, but also heals very well.
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The US version has been confirmed a while ago and will be released in October this year. I'll definitely be buying a Playstation 2.
Oh, and here's the opening to the game. Many of the Tales games have their own cinematic opening. They also all had Japanese theme songs to go with them that were taken out in the US version, so you can expect it to be taken out of Tales of the Abyss too. The theme song is Karma and is sung by Bump of Chicken.
[URL="http://youtube.com/watch?v=txGu0CUctTA"]http://youtube.com/watch?v=txGu0CUctTA[/URL]
thanx for theme song
keep the good work!
I finally started the game today. I'm not very far at all, but so far I'm really enjoying the game and it looks like I'll enjoy it the whole way through. It's easily likeable for fans of Tales of Symphonia. It's very similar, actually. Fans won't be disappointed.
To be honest, I didn't think to voices in ToS were bad at all.
But for this game, I'm going to wait before I play it. It's something more of a "obssessivly play the game to a point" thing I tend to do with RPGs. In fact, I still rotate around a lot of the other RPGs I've played.
It was good game beat it a few weeks ago
The story is so much fun. I think Guy was raped by a girl or something. I can't wait to figure that out. I also wonder why Tear started being nice to Luke all the sudden. These are the aspects that keep me coming back for more. I'm looking forward to continuing my adventure tonight. More mysteries will come while others may be answered. And the game itself it lots of fun to play. If you don't appreciate the actual story behind the game, though, you may grow bored. The story is easy to enjoy as long as you like stories!
I journeyed through the Abandoned Factory today. It wasn't too difficult. I made it through it fairly straightforwardly. I got so excited when we got to fight the Basilisk! Basilisks should be in more RPGs. ^_^ The music, however repetitive it may have been, reminded me of the instrumental tracks from Urfaust. Gave the area a creepy aura. And that Abaddon monster was so grotesque! And to think it almost fell upon Natalia! *gasp*
Oh yeah, Natalia join the team, getting me all the team members, as far as I know. I finally figured out, thanks to Iris, how to choose who I want to play as in battle, too. I don't know why I couldn’t figure it out on my own. I think it was that same way in Tales of Symphonia. Anyway, Natalia with her amazing archery, is really fun to play as in battle. I have a feeling I'll have to start playing as Guy or Luke when things start to get rough, though, because I may have to be quicker to destroy enemies and rescue my companions.
I'm not completely confident on who I want to keep in battle mostly full time. I'm certain I want Natalia and Tear to stay full time. Tears euphonious voice soothes the heart and Natalia is teh cute! ^_- Guy and Luke seem so similar that it seems wiser to replace one of them, probably Luke, with either Jade or Anise. For those of you who have made significant progress or have already completed the game, what would you recommend I do? Should I replace one of them and if so who should I replace them with?
Anise has a plushy and I think that is totally cute! ^_^ I'd probably prefer her out there instead of Jade if I end up replacing Luke or Guy, but I don't want my fursonal preference to get in the way of an intelligent decision.
That's a good idea. Tear's a must, basically. Natalia's good too so you have extra healing and attack. You should go with Anise or Jade and Luke or Guy, since they're similar enough. Jade's probably better until Anise and Tear learn some stronger fonic spells, then you can switch as you see fit. Anise is good for physical attacks too, so she'll be doing more than spell-casting. Luke or Guy is fine. Luke probably have more techs at this point so he could be better. Guy's faster though, and agility plays a pretty big role in battle. Either one would be fine. It won't hurt to pick based off personal preference.
I've been making decent progress. There's been some huge plot developments that have been very satisfying. Still so many questions left that I look forward to. I just got to Keterburg and am enjoying a snowball fight with all the kids. I doubt I'll beat this before I get the Wii, but I won't be starting my Zelda adventure until I finish with Tales. Not that I mind, this game has been amazingly fun for me so far, possibly my favorite PS2 game.
I've just today sort of figured out the four team-members I will ultimately use. Guy, who will be the character I'll usually play as. He is quick enough and his phobia is fun! Tear, Natalia, and Anise are the other three. We seem to collaborate decently together. You might think mixing Guy up with three females is a mistake but it's all about chemistry and it seems like the chemistry is working with these four. I think it'll help Guy with his phobia, honestly. Luke just has too many other problems going on anyway. He needs to sit out of the battles and do some serious contemplation. He is getting better, but he still has a long way to go. I think leaving him out to spend time with Jade will do him some good.
I just met Noelle. She's so chivalrous and generous. I think she'll help our adventure greatly. I was looking online trying to find an image of her, but I can't seem to locate one anywhere. Can anyone help? Iris, maybe you know a good source that I could check out?
Natalia and I feel so awful now. Guy remembered part of his past and the reason for his girl phobia. I feel awful for surrounding him with girls. I thought it would help him get over his phobia, and it probably did, but it was triggering crude memories to the point of grim flashbacks! Maybe it was good for him to remember. He was able to save Anise later on because he wasn't afraid to get near or touch her.
And omigosh! I loved the little noises of the Mandragoras! They were so cute! ^_^
Making me want to get the game even more than I originally wanted to. That's so rare.
I hope you get it. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself.
kk, I need some serious help. I'm totally stuck. I've spent the last hour looking for the moving island/fomicry in the sea and I can't seem to locate it anywhere! Is there an item out there that might help me find it or is it actually really easy to find and I'm just having terrible luck? Please, I must make progress and see what happens next! :(
It's southwest of Yulia City!!
Thank you so much, Dearest. You are hotter than the sun and just as bright! I can't wait to get home now and continue my adventure!
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cosplaydexterity/Guy_and_Noelle.jpg[/IMG]
Check out this image I found! Noelle and Guy make such a cute couple!
Noelle and Guy get a scene near the end of the game in a sidequest. The others eavesdrop on their conversation. Could it be a proposal?!
I prefer using official art for avatars and signatures. I couldn't imagine using a fanart like that, let alone saving it into My Pictures.
I like using official art for avatars and signatures, too, but I have a bunch of fan art saved. There's a much bigger selection of fan art. I wish there was an official image of Guy and Noelle together. That would be helpful.
And I better not miss that side-quest! Any hints to lead me in the proper direction? Guy's such a womanizer, I love it. I wonder if Noelle should even trust him, though, and I couldn't imagine Guy having sex, with his phobia and all. I love it when Anise surprisingly hugs him. So cute! ^_^
For the sub-event, you just need to enter the final dungeon once and enter the hidden village once. You can enter the village after clearing Zaleho Volcano for the second time, but there's a ton of sub-events that you have to complete beforehand. Luckily, you can complete them at any time in the game. Guy gets an alternate costume once you complete the sub-event!
Ugg, it sucks that I haven't gotten a single costume change yet. I must be focusing on the main mission too much and not enough on side-quest.
Go to Natalia's room in her castle! Talk to the maid there to get a costume for Tear.
Also, once you see the final skit in the game, you'll get costumes for everyone if you talk to Emperor Peony again. You can talk to him now though to get a title for Jade and the Spa pass. Use the Spa pass in Keterburg Hotel to get swimsuits. Use it again while Guy's wearing his swimsuit to get another funny skit.
Also, there's a sub-event in the hidden village that gives Natalia a sexy outfit. You can also get her an outfit by finding all of the search points in the game and talking to Din.
If you did the 4 events where Tear teaches Luke then you unlock another event that gives her a costume near the end of the game.
Anise can get a costume in the hidden village. She'll look like Genis in a cat costume!
Anise also gets a costume after you've beaten Radiation Gate, I think. GO back to Daath cathedral for the scene.
Guy gets another costume doing a few Dark Wings sub-events.
Guy also gets one from doing a really long sub-event about Frings and general Cecille.
Luke can get 2 costumes in the hidden village, playing a minigame.
Jade gets a doctor costume in Belkend's laboratory, and another costume when he finishes the advanced singles mode in the coliseum.
You can get power ranger-like costumes for everyone in your second playthrough too.
There's more costumes as well.
I didn't really like Tear's swimsuit. Natalia and Jade's were the best, although Guy and Anise had decent ones too.
I like Tear's swimsuit, even though it didn't really go with her personality so much. It's like a bondage swimsuit. I've actually got my red flag on her right now. I just hit a conversation after battle where the girls talked about how nervous they were about their swimsuits coming loose during battle. Funny stuff. Jade's swimsuit goes so well with his personality. Natalia and Luke look like they are on an island adventure. Good stuff.
I will defeat this game today! I know I can do it! I'm currently in The Tower of Rem. Do you think it's possible?
Tower of Rem? Probably not unless you play for hours.
You should get the Greater and Refined flightstones. That way you can go to the hidden town and get Natalia's sexy Star of Malkuth title! Also, you need the stones to get her Adventurous Princess title, the one that gives her a cowgirl outfit.
I DID IT! Just now! I've finally defeated Tales of the Abyss! I AM VICTORIOUS! Time to move on to Zelda: TP!
I'm going to miss the characters. I really liked them. Probably my favorite cast out of any of the Tales games. The majority of them kept growing on me and I'm incredibly sad to see it all end. Anise got likable fast. By the end of the game, I might have been most attached to her. I want her plushie for Christmas! ^_^
Favorite PS2 game. Looking forward to the next Tales game, Tales of the Tempest!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_the_tempest