Thank you very much, that was the problem! Somehow accidentally changed it to manual. :P Awesome game, by the way.

Oh I have! :D I played through both of those a few years back. The first one is brilliant. Frustrating and unpolished as all get out, but oh so worth it for how shocking and unexpected it was. I've never had a game surprise me so often. Well, until Nier I guess. :P The second game was fun, but lacked that distinct soul that D1 and Nier have.

Glad to see this thread still rolling. This game deserves it!

Hey guys! I'm having a problem in Tales of the Abyss, and was wondering if anyone knew of a solution. Very minor, early-game spoilers!





I just started playing this game for the first time today and am really enjoying it. I'm not too far in, I JUST got my fourth party member (Guy).

My problem is that two of my AI controlled party members (Tear and Jade) are completely immobile. They never attack, heal, or move at all during any fights. I've tried messing with their Artes and customizing them in the Strategy menu, but no matter what I do they remain completely useless. I'm enjoying this game's plot, characters, and general mechanics a great deal. It would be a shame for something so dumb to make me quit, but at this rate I won't be able to survive if I run into a tough fight.

Any help is appreciated, and thank you in advance!

As a heads up, the new issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine totally has this game on the cover. A really nice write-up with a lot of screenshots. The game is apparently not releasing until next year, so no worries about competing with Uncharted 3 now.

I definitely agree with that. That video got me to part with my moneys and pre-order the game today, and I ignored the crap out of the first game. (In a haughty tone: "You're not a real Sucker Punch production! PuuuSHAW!")

That pretty much describes what I'm feeling right now.

So I have to thank all of you guys in this huge thread: you're the reason I decided to give this game a second chance. This game has been more emotionally affecting and, more importantly, emotionally challenging than any game I've probably ever played. And to think I had given up on it!

Around the time Patrick Gann's review went up, I decided to give this game a chance and GameStop had it for cheap. My first impressions were a mixed bag. Interesting storyline, characters, and visual design, but lackluster level design, gameplay, and OH MY GOD FETCHQUESTCITY! I made it to the boss of the Desert Temple, which had me stuck and I gave up on the game and went on to "greener pastures."

Cue a couple of weeks ago, where I suddenly found the "Song of the Ancients" jamming itself back into my brain. For some reason, I was missing this game! Then I re-read Patrick's review. Then I listened to the whole soundtrack on Youtube. Finally I hopped into this thread and read everyone's impressions (as well as the advice on being able to switch the difficulty without starting the game over!). Damn you all! ;)

I love this game! I beat that boss on the Easy setting and never looked back. I'm now going through the B scenario, and the game is just WOW. The worst thing about it is still the fetchquests, but the best thing I can say is that the game never makes me do them, and I like how just accepting them will often prompt fully-voiced discussions among the party.

It's weird though. I've been wanting a game to challenge me emotionally and force me to do things I'm not comfortable with for a long time. Now that I've finally found that in Nier's scenario B, I don't want to play it! Does the game ever stop being so soul-crushing? It's cool if the answer is no! :P