This is one of those games that you just wish was never made. Not because it was that bad, but simply because it was a disgrace to it's predecessor. The game it self isn't bad, the combat system is pretty good and the story is also fine, though it's not nearly as epic as the original games story was. But what really bothers me about this game is two things:

1. The game is too short.

2. It messes up with the personallity of the original character, ruining a fantastic game universe.

But in it itself the game is still pretty good and if it hadn't been a successor to the original game and just a game in itself, it would have been pretty nice. So therefore i give it a 6/10 even though it a disgrace to the original game.… Expand

I was a huge fan of Tales of Symphonia on the GC so I was very excited for this sequel. But unfortunately, this game lacks everything that made its predecessor great. First and foremost, a lot of assets from the previous game are re-used here so you'll see/hear many things from the last game. The two new stars of the game spend nearly the entirety of the story game whining nonstop, taking away from an otherwise good story. The battle system is intact but replacing characters with a Pokemon-esque monster catching/developing system simply makes most fights frustrating than fun. You can use the returning characters but in limit form as they'll join and leave your party as the story progresses and their levels/equipment are static. The game is also severely unbalanced so be ready to died, sit through un-skippable cutscenes and grind a lot. This game is basically a poorly made sequel to milk the original. If you really enjoyed its predecessor than Dawn of the New World is worth trying but honestly, your time would be better spent re-playing the original Tales of Symphonia.… Expand

Pales in comparison to its predecessor. A mildly interesting story and the ability to capture monsters is what drives this game. Honestly the tales series could have gone without this title.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World is very much a fan service game. It was made with fans of the GameCube/Playstation 2 game in mind. The game only gives you two new playable characters and a handful of new characters in the world while you revisit old locations with new paint jobs. Most of the music is carried over as well. That being said, the game does a good job at creating a new conflict that drags everyone into it. The Norse background greatly influences the game's story. The game has a very slow start as you play as Emil, a whiny annoying child who suddenly grows a pair while he's in battle and in his "Ratatosk Mode", you almost wish that this mode continues for the rest of the game. But if you played the original and can suffer a bit of annoying voice acting then you'll be able to enjoy the game.… Collapse

While I'm a little disappointed that they took away the free-roaming world that's present from the first game, (and in other games such as Tales of Vesperia), I'm overall rather impressed. They did a good job of fan service for those who played the first game in the series--hopefully this will inspire them to make future sequels to take us back to some pretty good prior stories.

I didn't play the first ToS, but this game has a decent story line and an interesting combat system. It was enjoyable to play, but the game feels very slow paced. Another major problem is the inability to skip cut scenes. It makes dying that much more frustrating. Combine that with the game being ordered like Save Point - MASSIVE CUTSCENE - Hard battle, it makes it that much worse.

It kept me interested through the game, but there were times where I had to take breaks from it so I wouldn't rage having to watch a 5+ minute segment of cut scenes again.

All in all, the game felt like I was playing Pokemon mashed up with Star Ocean.

Also, about what FozzyU said - he obviously never read the battle tutorials that the game forces you to go through in the first few battles. You push (-) in order to switch targets. Or you could just switch to Manual. Either way.… Expand

I have played this game since christmas and it is great, i havent finished yet, but i like the gameplay, the story and the characters behind. It is not a Final Fantasy-style game, i still find it very fun.

Excellent battle mechanics and depth, however the story is lacking, but the original was perfection in story so it is hard to improve, fans of the original, the perfect game, would appreciate this, the battle system is reminiscent of devil may cry in that you can juggle enemies for combo.

The sequel to the Gamecube game, this game takes a drastic change in it's gameplay. Played more like an interactive anime cartoon than a video game, you'll be spending most of your time watching in-game cut-screens than exploring dungeons and developing your character. The combat is also worse than it's predecessor. While trying to remain similar to the previous game, DotnW's combat is slow and frustrating. If for no other reason than the fact that you cannot switch your target without having to resort to "tricks" by switching characters until your previous character's AI switches it's target, and switch back. This becomes frustratingly obvious on "boss" fights where you need to attack the healer to prevent them from casting a heal, but your character is "locked" into the other guys. However, the amount of voice acting and a continued deep story (sorry, you'll have to play the other game to really understand what's going on) makes this game enjoy able enough to slog your way through.… Expand

Screw the critics, ToS:DotNW is the best RPG for the Wii out there. If you enjoy RPGs and have played the first Tales of Symphonia then by no means should you let this game slip away. You may feel frustrated at times due to some "repetitive" scenes but overall, you will get a great game. Good ol´ Tales fighting style with NEW SKILLS (sry demon fang, oh wait it is there too). Pretty simple: if you have played the first one, get it. If you didnt, get the first one and then play this. Of course, given that you like RPGs.… Expand

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World is a feeble shadow of its predecessor. Even though it had a high standard to meet, you would expect the follow-up of such an incredible game to do what it could to make itself unique while remaining equally as original and artistic. Instead, we get a story that has more in common with the early days of RPGs, and characters that are pitifully cliche. With sub-par voice acting and much less focus on exploration with the removal of the world map, ToS:DotNW will only appeal to those with a supreme dedication to the first game, or those who enjoy RPGs and haven't been able to access any on the Wii system. For all its faults, it proves to be a substandard installation of the genre in the long run.… Expand