[PS2] In need of an RPG

I'm curious, for those who've been recommending TotA. I rented it last night and am only about an hour or two into it and am already tired of it, namely due to the ridiculously laggy world map and long loading times.

I don't know if it's just not happy on my PS2, but trying to swivel the camera at all on the (ugly) world map results in horrible lag and stuttering. On top of that I dread going into battles on the map because the loading time to get out of them back to the map often takes three times as long as the battle itself. Pair those two technical issues with very iffy graphics (sometimes they look great, sometimes they look like cardboard cutouts) and I'm surprised it's been so highly recommended.

Is it just me who can't seem to get past those shortcomings? From what it sounds like the actual game itself and the story is fantastic... But to be honest if it gives me that much trouble just on the world map, my frustration level skyrockets and I have a hard time actually enjoying it.

m19

Jam it back in, in the dark.