Abyss's engine problems like long load times is because it's using the Symphonia engine which was tailored to the Gamecube. The ToS PS2 port suffers from similar problems. I heard rumors that Abyss was originally going to be on the Gamecube...
Anyways, I think Symphonia is smack in the middle of the series. Its cast and story range from mediocre to horrible but its battle system is a move in the right direction even if it is sort of gimped for a Tales game. The future incarnations using the 3D system are remarkably superior to Symphonia in almost every way, making it irrelevant in this day even though it's not really that old.
But when it comes to Tales games you can't use one to judge others. Just because you like/dislike one doesn't mean you'll feel the same about another even if it is by the same team.
Tag - "No trolling on my watch!"
