Dear Squeenix,
Kindly either a) do not mention a menu the player can not get to until further in the game every other minute, or b) just let the player go to that menu, even if it is currently empty.
I spent a good half hour making sure my controllers were not broken, and then proceeded to decide you'd gone and made sure the player had to somehow purchase a "party menu" license before being able to access the party menu. Yes, a menu license. Stupid, yes?
By-the-by, have you read
The Design of Everyday Things at all? It applies to menus, too. And when you can reach said menus.
Much aggravated,
Mekl