Tales of the Abyss: PS2 or 3DS version?

Tales of the Abyss was the series' tenth anniversary production, and Bandai Namco underlined the point by releasing it in Japan on December 15, 2005, exactly ten years to the day after Phantasia. It reunites the Symphonia team and engine, with Fujishima designs and a story built on fonons, a prophecy called the Score, and Luke fon Fabre's long road from spoiled noble to hero. North America followed on October 10, 2006.

One regional twist rewards attention: the North American PlayStation 2 release added second Mystic Artes for several characters that the Japanese original did not have, a rare case of the Western version gaining content rather than losing it. English players also received a full BradyGames strategy guide, walkthrough, maps and bestiary included, making the PS2 version the best-documented Abyss in English.

The Nintendo 3DS port (Japan June 30, 2011) is a careful conversion rather than an expansion. It keeps the game's content intact, puts shortcuts and maps on the touch screen, cuts the original's notorious overworld loading down to size, and, not incidentally, gave Europe the game at last on November 25, 2011, with North America following on February 14, 2012.

So the choice is presentational. The 3DS version is the one to play through; the PS2 version is the one to shelve with its guide. Japanese guidebooks cover the PS2 original in the most depth, and Japanese 3DS-era books document the port's adjustments, so the two shelves of Abyss paper do not fully overlap either.