Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World is the sequel to the original Tales of Symphonia on the Gamecube, and it does not disappoint for a sequel. As we all know for most sequels (Metal Gear Solid series actually gets better), it's almost never better than it's original, and this one isn't as well, but it serves very well in the Tales realm. There are a few minor problems that get on my nerves, but I enjoyed the experience.

The first of the problems begins in battle. If you have played Tales of the Abyss, then you will be comfortable with the controlling of the battles; however, the controls aren't as buttery as ToA. Attacks are slower than in ToA, and the delay time between attacks is not so great. I sometimes found myself getting clobbered for over 2000 damage because I couldn't swing my sword with Emil for about 2 seconds after I finished attacking. Another problem is that in most cases, you are the primary target for all enemies at the start of battle. So, you will be chased around the battlefield until someone else can draw their attention.

Boss fights are another issue. They kinda linger between pretty easy to ridiculously hard. There are a couple of boss fights that required me to restart 3+ times. Several bosses do over 600 damage a pop (late in the game), and at times it can be very troublesome and frustrating. [spoiler]One boss fight REQUIRES you to use monsters you formed pacts with and it's against one of the hardest boss fights in the game.

Sometimes leveling is crucial and you may find yourself leveling late in the game. The game is also pretty linear with few side quests, though they also have "quests" where you fight enemies and get some useful items. The overall plot is a good pick up after the first game ends and you get to see your favorite ToS characters once again, though you will experience limited use of them. Another flaw is that Emil MUST be in your party so you can form pacts with monsters.[/spoiler]

That's all I'm going to say about the game really. If anyone has specific questions, ask. I think it's a good game and another good addition to the wonderful series.

I was very iffy about getting this since most reviews have been mixed upon the game. I may have to take another look.

Not to be rude or anything, but in your post you didn't mention anything you liked about the game. So, just what about it makes it worthy of my time?[/spoiler]

The story is very likable. It is somewhat like it's prequel, but there is also a STRONG focus on the character development for Marta and Emil, considering they're the only two new heroes in the series. There is pretty good development of the common enemies, but side quests allow you to understand more about them, whereas regular gameplay doesn't do them much justice, except Richter.

I didn't like the lack of a world map (where you fight monsters), which is similar to that of Tales of Legendia.

I did like the change in character graphics (look more like Abyss characters), making the characters take on a more serious tone, but can also carry a humorous one. There is more detail as far as the maps go, there are more graphic details, which does it justice (but not comparable to the 360 installments of Eternal Sonata and Tales of Vesperia, which are breath taking). The music is also pretty good. I also like the familiar voices and how almost every voice is the same person, though sometimes they sound a little weird compared to ToS1.

I say that if you are a fan of the series, get this game. If you liked Tales of Symphonia, then this one isn't a disappointment, and compliments the original plot line.

EDIT: Plus, skits now have voiceovers.

The only Tales of game I've played is the first of Tales of Symphonia, and I really liked it. Looking forward to play the sequel!

As a plug, I personally think Tales of the Abyss is better than Symphonia by a small margin. Haven't played Vesperia yet, but when I do, I'll let you know about it.

I still have yet to beat Symphonia. But I have that problem with a lot of games.