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29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great for Fans of the Original, Otherwise..., November 11, 2008
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
Pros:
+Good looking game
+Fun battle system
+Returning characters who do more than simply make an appearance
+For the most part, good voice acting
Cons:
-Battling can be a button mashing affair
-A slow story to start
-Too linear
-If you haven't played the first game the plot becomes harder to understand throughout and it is just harder to appreciate
When Tales of Symphonia debuted on the Gamecube, it became an unprecedented cult classic. Since then there have been several Tales games to come about, but none have hit the spark Tales of Symphonia did on the Gamecube. Fans of Tales of Symphonia will probably come to Dawn of the New World with open arms. Newcomers, however, might do best to play the original first.
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World takes place two years after the original. The story itself can seem a bit complicated at times. Mostly because there are a lot of things thrown in from the first game. In terms of being a sequel it's not bad in the sense that it brings in familiar faces who do more than just present a cameo, and that it also has you revisiting areas, but it also refers to the first game many times down the road. Needless to say, if you haven't played the first Tales of Symphonia, some of the story just might not click right away and you might even find some of it to be a mess. The original game had a lot to swallow and much of it you'll be expected to remember. It also doesn't help that the story isn't all that well paced. It takes a while for it to jump into things. Tales has never been great about jumping into the story, but for some reason it's a bigger problem with Dawn of the New World.
On the other hand, the characters in and of themselves are interesting. You'll learn a lot about them, and familiar faces returning also helps matters along. There are also skits that are optional side conversations that add to the story and characters. It's easy to like the characters, and it's nice that skits are voiced this time around, unlike the original Gamecube title.
Also like many Tales games, get ready for a lot of conversation and exposition. There's some good humor within the game and most of the dialog isn't bad at all. The voice acting is strong, for the most part, but there are some areas where it's laughable.
One of the bigger differences between Dawn of the New World and the original Gamecube title actually comes from the fact that the world map completely restricts exploring. It's now a point and click mechanic. On one hand, considering the amount of running around you'll be doing, it's nice to have that quick and easy access. On the other hand, part of the fun of an RPG is exploring. The new world map system makes the game much more linear than it really has to be.
When you're exploring dungeons, however, the game can be exciting. Mainly because Dawn of the New World doesn't get rid of the battle system the Tales series is known for. Once in battle, Tales plays similar to an action RPG where you can run up to enemies and start clobbering away. You've also got special attacks called Artes you can use provided you have the right amount of TP. There are times when the game can become a button mashing fest, but there are times when some genuine strategy is needed. Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World isn't exactly an easy game. When you're not controlling the other characters they are controlled by AI that, for the most part, does a good job. Luckily you can issue commands and customize things if they aren't to your liking.
Dawn of the New World isn't a bad looking game by any means. It ditches the cell shaded look for something a bit more realistic. It doesn't look quite as artsy as the first game did as a result, but it's not terrible by any means. You'll also visit a lot of locations from the very first game that look almost exactly the same. The same could be said of the music. There are a couple returning tracks that are remixed but there's some new stuff as well. Tales of Symphonia didn't exactly have memorable music to begin and Dawn of the New World isn't different in that regard either. It's not bad music, you just won't find yourself remembering any of it.
Unfortunately, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World doesn't exactly have a massive appeal. This is a game meant for those who enjoyed their romp through the Gamecube original. If you've never played the original game, it might be a little harder to get a grasp on everything that's mentioned throughout the plot. It's perfectly accessible to newcomers and they'll probably like it if JRPGs are their thing, but its hard to deny that the game is more appealing if you were a big fan of the first one to begin with.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Have, January 25, 2009
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
This game is perfect if you are a fan of the first game. The first was better of course, but I still enjoyed this one immensely. I have spent a lot of time playing it with my brother and we both love it. I haven't finished the game yet, but my brother has on his file. So, here I'll go into details about the plot and game play. Then I'll go into some differences from the original.
PLOT:
This game takes place after the original ended. The world is a new place, Tethe'allans and Sylvrantis are now living together in one world. But it's not quite peaceful. Half-elves are hated and feared still and the Tethe'allans look down on the less advanced Sylvrantis.
It follows the story of a Sylvranti boy named Emil. He and Marta join up and go on an adventure to find and hatch the centurion's cores in order to bring balance to the world. Centurions are like the protectors/ stabilizers of the world's mana. You'll learn more about them in the game.
And that's the basic plot, without giving anything away, at least, nothing you don't find out in the first couple minutes of the game anyway.
GAME PLAY:
In some respects it is very similar to the original. In stead of calling moves "techs" though, they are now referred to as "artes." There are the 4 A-moves, and the 4 B-moves. However there are now 8 C-moves. 4 with the control pad on the wii-remote, and 4 that can be used by shaking either the remote or the numchuck.
Sadly, first player can only play as Emil or Marta, but it is possible to switch players during a battle. And only Emil or Marta can be the one shown walking around.
Also, 2nd player can no longer control anything except for during fights.
The characters from the old game come back and some join your team. Usually no more than 2 or 3 at a time. Regal and Sheena are with you for a long time. As I said, you cannot control them as 1st player, but 2nd player can be them and first player can switch to them during a battle. Another down side is that they don't level up from experience. They gain levels and moves as the game progresses and different bosses are beat. But it's still fun to play as your favorite character from the old game! And they are a big help.
You might have noticed that there are not always four humans on your team. In order to fix that problem and give everyone 4 fighters, the makers decided to add "monsters" to your team. Emil can bond with certain monsters that can then fight for you. They cannot be human controlled at all, not even by 2nd player, but are a major asset to your team. Everyone has a special ability that may or may not work. For example, a wolf on my team may or may not automatically revive someone who died. This doesn't happen regularly, but as a healer, it's a big help when it does. Others heal without using a spell. Again, this doesn't mean you won't die, only that you are less likely too die as easily.
To use the sorcerers ring, you have to aim with the wii remote.
You still collect grade and can use it at the end of the game to buy "cheats" for the next game.
DIFFERENCES:
-You jump from place to place; no more flying on reiards. This makes it more linear than necessary, but it's possible to go to more places than just where you have to go next. For example, you can go to Meltokio instead of the earth temple.
-You no longer cook for your teammates. Instead you cook for your monsters by talking to cats to get them to like you/level up. Though recipes are harder to find and I don't think there are as many.
-Your healer (Marta) is also a good fighter.
-Every character (even the old ones) have a special they can use by pressing c and doing a certain move. It's similar to a group attack and often just as damaging. They vary from player to player. For example, Emil's will basically kill one enemy, but may not so much as harms the others. Marta's heals the other players while hurting the enemy, though not doing as much damage as some of the others. I believe it was Zelos's that killed nearly everything in range.
-All the silent side conversations are now voiced making them much more enjoyable to watch. Many of them are hilarious.
-Voice actors were changed, but I was surprised how quickly I got used to them
I hope that was helpful and not too verbose. I wanted to leave a good review with a lot of detail my brother and I were curious about when I bought it. It's a great game and I encourage anyone who liked the first to also try this one out.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful, November 24, 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I just recently received this game a couple of days ago. I really love the Tales of series the most. Using the Wii remote for it isn't that hard, but my hands get a little tired from holding it for so long.
Anyway, I should talk about the gameplay. You probably already know about the basic plot of the game but nothing of the gameplay or what a person who has played it thinks. I love the plot, even if it is sad to see Emil hating Llyod so much and he will say that constantly to others when he tries to go find him, at least until he meets Raine and realizes why the people of Iselia defend him so ardently. Despite this, I find the conversations funny and entertaining.
What I find disappointing is that it no longer lets you have the characters cook for each other like in previous Tales of games. You also have a system where you can travel quickly to other towns which is a plus to be sure, but sadly you have little to no opportunities to level up and bosses could crush you alive. You have to go to a heavily populated monster area to level up on your own.
I loved the first Tales of Symphonia. And this game has a really interesting plot!
Since I've finished it, I feel that it ended much too quickly and it didn't have that many subplots to suit me. Tales of games are filled with those diverting subplots and I felt disappointed that they took out most of them. And you can't change much about the previous Tales of Symponia characters, only the current ones. Overall, it does have a good plotline and characters.
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