Wait, read first before recommending.
I really want Tales of the Abyss, since I loved Tales of Symphonia(and Phantasia), but it’s super expensive(for a used game, I mean) and I can’t afford it right now.
Having said this, Suikoden III looks cool, too, and is more reasonable.
Which game would you recommend? Why?
Anyone have a copy of Tales of the Abyss lying around I can buy for cheap or borrow?
Quick follow up:
How does Tales of Legendia hold up to Symphonia or Abyss?
I wish Abyss was cheaper. I’ve wanted it for a long time.
Legendia is by all reports relatively weak. Some people will recommend it for one aspect or another (Some say they liked the party dynamic, some say they liked the music, etc.) but most agree that it’s not one of the stronger entries in the Tales series.
I’ve never played any Suikoden games though, so I can’t come down on one side or the other.
Of those two, Abyss definitely. I’ve had both, and Abyss was definitely the more interesting story to play-through. It’s been a few years, but I really remember being unsatisfied by Suikoden 3 as compared to its predecessors.
Suikoden 3 is significantly different than the first two. It’s still pretty good, but it’s different, and it gets a lot of flak because of that. Well, also because it doesn’t live up to the first two in quality, either, since both of those were excellent. I liked 3 but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a must-play.
I have nothing good to say about the Tales series so I won’t say anything at all. 
If you like Tales, Abyss is indeed good. It’s long. I’ve never completed it, tough I try to do all the side things, too.
As Kiros says, SUiko 3 is uneven. They tried to mvoe forward with it, but I have to admit the game feels tediuous in spots. There are some really brilliant moments, but overall there’s a lot of nuisance to it. Suiko 1&2 were notable for giving a lot of freedom in where you went and what you did. Suiko 3 is much more plot-driven, and not in a good way. The game never really opens up, and the plot honestly isn’t that great. It also doesn’t really explain the character well if you haven’t played previous Suiko games. Actually, screw that, it doesn’t explain the characters well even if you did.
That said, there were some aspects of Suiko 3 that really were absolutely awesome, including their ability to hand you two hundred major characters (108 recruitable and half combat-ready), make them all distinct, and really make you care about whether they succeed or not.