Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World

All in all, I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed by Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. While it is not a terrible game, it doesn’t live up to the expectations that the first one created.

Those expecting an experience like other 3D Tales games, such as Symphonia, are going to be disappointed. Dawn of a New World simply takes what Tales of Symphonia had and waters it down for the most part, meaning it shouldn't be recommended over the GameCube title for those new to the series.

There is a warning for fans though, when you play it, make sure you’ve got some happy pills with you, just to be on the safe side.

It may lack the emotional heft of darker epics, but it remains a tightly plotted confection with charm to spare. [Jan 2009]

The game looks "old": standard gameplay, standard "love and war stories", and a graphical engine that doesn't shows any virtues.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World is a lengthy linear role-playing game that will please fans of the series who aren’t looking for something new.

Sloppy combat and an over reliance on cut scenes ruins the game. RPG-starved Wii fans might have a good time, but they're probably better served by revisiting the superior GameCube prequel.

Anyone willing to overlook the boring cut-scenes, dated graphics, and god-awful main character will find dozens of hours of fairly generic JRPG value in Tales Of Symphonia: Dawn Of The New World. [Jan 2009, p.112]

Dawn of the New World is a sequel that fails to establish itself as anything more than fan fare.

If you can look past the last-last-gen flaws that absolutely should be gone by now, there’s a totally playable bit of gaming here that’ll scratch your RPG itch for the time being.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World is not a bad game, but is suffers from "Been there done that" syndrome.

Wii gamers desperate for a role-playing game, particularly those that enjoyed the first Symphonia, might be able to overlook Dawn of the New World's tired gameplay and convoluted story.

Tales of Symphonia 2: Dawn of the New World has a great battle system, voice-acting, and nice new elements like the monster gathering. Unfortunately, the linear story, dull characters, lack of exploration and mediocre graphics hold back the experience.

An interesting JRPG that has arrived a little bit late, but still is a fair option to expend your money if you're looking to enjoy a very joyful Tales of that has nothing new to offer besides a new story. Still, its a nice option to choose if you like the genre.

When you take a look at this game as a whole, even fans should be able to see the basic gameplay, last-gen graphics, and linear plotline.

However, the constant whining from Emil, a party that never feels like it has a foundation, and poor pacing and flow make waiting for the good stuff an exercise in patience, where it should be an exercise in fun.

A decent enough game, but it feels massively out of date. One for Tales fans only. [Nov 2009, p.88]

What could've been a good sequel to a great RPG is shot down by several shortcomings including (but not limited to) out-of-date graphics, numerous flaws in the storytelling department and a dull and lifeless world. While Dawn works as a nostalgia trip for Symphonia fans, it just doesn't have much to offer to other players. [Jan 2010]

Five, perhaps even ten years ago Dawn of the New World would have seemed somewhat mediocre, in 2010 is just depressing.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World's biggest drawback is simply that it's a direct sequel to Tales of Symphonia. While this provides the game with a fairly large potential audience of fans, the story draws very heavily from the events of the first game, and while it's possible to pick up the pieces during the game, those who haven't played Tales of Symphonia will likely find themselves lost.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World is a good JRPG. Fans of the last chapter, developed for the Gamecube, and more generally of the genre, will certainly like it, and ignore the many flaws. Especially the recycling of characters from the past episodes and the numerous recalls to the saga, strongly limit the title, especially for the western market.

New World is the most earnest attempt yet to bring an RPG with lasting appeal to the Wii, but it never takes itself seriously enough to make an impact.

Again, what the game aims to achieve is what leads to its downfall, resting securely in the shade of its predecessor's success and achieving some value in that way, without ever coming out to mark its own territory.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World is a worth-while role-playing effort for the Wii. It's a true successor to the original title for the GameCube with a continuing story and improved gameplay elements.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World is a pretty good RPG for the Wii. It takes many elements from the previous Symphonia game, but there are some flaws. It also feels like this game isn't a direct sequel to the previous game. However if you are a real ToS-fan, you can add one point to the score.