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This thread has been linked to the game 'Dragon Quest 8: The Journey Of The Cursed King'.
Seeing as there's talk of reviews maybe coming back i figured i'd start the ball rolling with a review of Dragon Quest 8 i did.
If you thought Final Fantasy made the fanboys wet themselves with excitement whenever a game in that series is released, this is nothing compared to the amount of hype a Dragon Quest release generates in Japan, so much so they are only allowed to release these games on a Sunday to stop schoolchildren and adults skipping school or work to go and queue up and buy it. Selling over 3 million copies on just its first weekend of release this should give you a sense of the high regard of which the Japanese hold this series which is very much warranted.
A classic old school type RPG this is basically the anti-Final Fantasy game, whereas Square try and take their series in all sorts of new directions, none of them good, Enix realise what the old school RPG gamer wants and give them it in spades. What you'll find here is a challenging, classic RPG that is not for the casual, impatient gamer. This game is long and will require alot of investment to get the best out of it.
Story - If you've ever played a Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior as it was known in the west until this installment) then you'll be in familiar territory, olden times mythology, castles, swords and sorcery, kingdoms and of course an un-named Hero, although this time he does go by the nickname "the guv'."
We join our intrepid hero along with the muscle of the group Yangus, a criminal gone good who has vowed to serve the guv' and protect him, King Trode, the ruler of Trodain who has been turned into a toad by the evil magician Dhoulmagus and a horse called Medea who is actually the Princess and another victim of Dhoulmagus' handywork. Their goal is to track down Dhoulmagus and defeat him to retrieve the holy scepter he stole from Trodain Castle and to hopefully get Trode and Medea back to their human forms and revenge for Dhoulmagus destroying their castle and all of their servants apart from Hero. If you are expecting a tale of intrigue and deceit with lots of twists and turns you're in the wrong place here, this is a very simple cookie-cutter style good vs evil premise which is easy to follow and understand.
Along the way you will add to your party a lady called Jessica, the resident magician of the party, who is out to defeat Dhoulmagus for killing her brother and a self confident Holy Templar Knight called Angelo who is more preoccupied with the vices of life rather than upholding the honor of the Templar Knights, a lifestyle which gets him kicked out by his brother and told to follow Hero and his group to try and find some meaning in his life and also to hit on Jessica while doing so.
Gameplay - This is standard old RPG fare which means classic random, turn based encounters. Luckily though whereas in some RPG's of this sort random battles soon become annoying continuous battles which impede progress, Dragon Quest manages to find a good balance and while there are plenty of battles to help you grow stronger and get ready for the final battle it doesn't feel like a chore to get from one area to the next and you won't grow tired of it.
Along the way characters will automatically learn spells and abilities to aid your party's cause and most abilities will overlap so different party members can take responsibility for healing or buffing. This helps in battles where a certain character may be weak against the enemy so you can use them to heal and strengthen the party so you'll hardly run into a battle where a character is totally useless.
Adding more skills and abilities is the skill point "tree". Every time you level your character will receive skill points which they can distribute among 5 different areas, which usually include 4 weapon proficiencies such as Swords and Staves and then a unique 5th ability (e.g Hero's is Courage and Jessica's is Sex Appeal) as you assign more skill points to different categories the party members will grow stronger in that area, so if you give Hero more points for his Swords skill he will deal more damage with a Sword then he would if he was attacking with an Spear. As you grow stronger in areas it will unlock more powerful abilities to deal quick death to your foes.
Dragon Quest will present the gamer with a stronger challenge than most RPG's of this generation, as you enter new areas the enemies will grow stronger and sometimes there is quite the spike in difficulty, especially if you venture out of town at night when there are stronger monsters usually hanging out in bigger groups, however if you keep battling and levelling up steadily it shouldn't prove to be frustratingly hard.
Graphics - Before the game was released there were alot of eyebrows raised at the decision to go with cel-shaded graphics. Pretty much the same reaction when Zelda went that route, however the change in Dragon Quest was more widely expected. Done by the folks at Level 5, responsible for the Dark Cloud games and the artistic work of Akira Toriyama (a name no doubt familiar to Dragon Ball Z fans) the game retains the feel of its predecessors while making the most of the new technology. All your old favourites such as Slimes, Drackies and Skeletons are now fully animated.
The areas you'll explore will vary from grassy hills and fields to sandy beaches, deserted wastelands, beautiful lakes and oceans, dark caves and of course towns ranging from the small poor towns to the beautiful and extravagant Kingdoms and Port Cities.
Music/Sound - Added to the Western versions the voicework is surprisingly unique with practically an all British cast. Yangus will be the most evident of this with his very cockney accent and unique dialect. Virtually all of the characters are very competently acted and add life to the character and help you to relate to and care about them.
The music is also very good and unique, ranging from the up-tempo and lively scores while visiting cities to the dark and quiet music you'll get while exploring dungeons, it helps add excitement and atmosphere. Although the continue game screen music does sound like something from The Sims which i found amusing.
Lifespan - Anyone who has played a Dragon Quest game before will know they are loooooooong and VIII is no exception with a story that will easily top 50-60 hours of play and with an alchemy side quest to allow you to make more powerful items and equipment, special enemies to battle around the world, a Casino to play in, skill points to maximise, mini medals to find and even an additional ending when you start up again in New Game+ this game will more than easily keep you occupied for a long time.
Overall - Dragon Quest is a great game that is more of a tribute to a older time of RPG's rather than an attempt to do anything new and ground-breaking. A game designed to challenge and give you a taste of nostalgia to a simpler time of RPG's. Managing to capture and retain the magic of the old games in the series while bringing it into the present Dragon Quest is a game any RPG gamer worth their magic elixers should be pleased to own.
Story - 4
Gameplay - 5
Graphics - 4
Sound - 4
Lifespan - 5
Overall - 22/25
If you thought Final Fantasy made the fanboys wet themselves with excitement whenever a game in that series is released, this is nothing compared to the amount of hype a Dragon Quest release generates in Japan, so much so they are only allowed to release these games on a Sunday to stop schoolchildren and adults skipping school or work to go and queue up and buy it. Selling over 3 million copies on just its first weekend of release this should give you a sense of the high regard of which the Japanese hold this series which is very much warranted.
A classic old school type RPG this is basically the anti-Final Fantasy game, whereas Square try and take their series in all sorts of new directions, none of them good, Enix realise what the old school RPG gamer wants and give them it in spades. What you'll find here is a challenging, classic RPG that is not for the casual, impatient gamer. This game is long and will require alot of investment to get the best out of it.
Story - If you've ever played a Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior as it was known in the west until this installment) then you'll be in familiar territory, olden times mythology, castles, swords and sorcery, kingdoms and of course an un-named Hero, although this time he does go by the nickname "the guv'."
We join our intrepid hero along with the muscle of the group Yangus, a criminal gone good who has vowed to serve the guv' and protect him, King Trode, the ruler of Trodain who has been turned into a toad by the evil magician Dhoulmagus and a horse called Medea who is actually the Princess and another victim of Dhoulmagus' handywork. Their goal is to track down Dhoulmagus and defeat him to retrieve the holy scepter he stole from Trodain Castle and to hopefully get Trode and Medea back to their human forms and revenge for Dhoulmagus destroying their castle and all of their servants apart from Hero. If you are expecting a tale of intrigue and deceit with lots of twists and turns you're in the wrong place here, this is a very simple cookie-cutter style good vs evil premise which is easy to follow and understand.
Along the way you will add to your party a lady called Jessica, the resident magician of the party, who is out to defeat Dhoulmagus for killing her brother and a self confident Holy Templar Knight called Angelo who is more preoccupied with the vices of life rather than upholding the honor of the Templar Knights, a lifestyle which gets him kicked out by his brother and told to follow Hero and his group to try and find some meaning in his life and also to hit on Jessica while doing so.
Gameplay - This is standard old RPG fare which means classic random, turn based encounters. Luckily though whereas in some RPG's of this sort random battles soon become annoying continuous battles which impede progress, Dragon Quest manages to find a good balance and while there are plenty of battles to help you grow stronger and get ready for the final battle it doesn't feel like a chore to get from one area to the next and you won't grow tired of it.
Along the way characters will automatically learn spells and abilities to aid your party's cause and most abilities will overlap so different party members can take responsibility for healing or buffing. This helps in battles where a certain character may be weak against the enemy so you can use them to heal and strengthen the party so you'll hardly run into a battle where a character is totally useless.
Adding more skills and abilities is the skill point "tree". Every time you level your character will receive skill points which they can distribute among 5 different areas, which usually include 4 weapon proficiencies such as Swords and Staves and then a unique 5th ability (e.g Hero's is Courage and Jessica's is Sex Appeal) as you assign more skill points to different categories the party members will grow stronger in that area, so if you give Hero more points for his Swords skill he will deal more damage with a Sword then he would if he was attacking with an Spear. As you grow stronger in areas it will unlock more powerful abilities to deal quick death to your foes.
Dragon Quest will present the gamer with a stronger challenge than most RPG's of this generation, as you enter new areas the enemies will grow stronger and sometimes there is quite the spike in difficulty, especially if you venture out of town at night when there are stronger monsters usually hanging out in bigger groups, however if you keep battling and levelling up steadily it shouldn't prove to be frustratingly hard.
Graphics - Before the game was released there were alot of eyebrows raised at the decision to go with cel-shaded graphics. Pretty much the same reaction when Zelda went that route, however the change in Dragon Quest was more widely expected. Done by the folks at Level 5, responsible for the Dark Cloud games and the artistic work of Akira Toriyama (a name no doubt familiar to Dragon Ball Z fans) the game retains the feel of its predecessors while making the most of the new technology. All your old favourites such as Slimes, Drackies and Skeletons are now fully animated.
The areas you'll explore will vary from grassy hills and fields to sandy beaches, deserted wastelands, beautiful lakes and oceans, dark caves and of course towns ranging from the small poor towns to the beautiful and extravagant Kingdoms and Port Cities.
Music/Sound - Added to the Western versions the voicework is surprisingly unique with practically an all British cast. Yangus will be the most evident of this with his very cockney accent and unique dialect. Virtually all of the characters are very competently acted and add life to the character and help you to relate to and care about them.
The music is also very good and unique, ranging from the up-tempo and lively scores while visiting cities to the dark and quiet music you'll get while exploring dungeons, it helps add excitement and atmosphere. Although the continue game screen music does sound like something from The Sims which i found amusing.
Lifespan - Anyone who has played a Dragon Quest game before will know they are loooooooong and VIII is no exception with a story that will easily top 50-60 hours of play and with an alchemy side quest to allow you to make more powerful items and equipment, special enemies to battle around the world, a Casino to play in, skill points to maximise, mini medals to find and even an additional ending when you start up again in New Game+ this game will more than easily keep you occupied for a long time.
Overall - Dragon Quest is a great game that is more of a tribute to a older time of RPG's rather than an attempt to do anything new and ground-breaking. A game designed to challenge and give you a taste of nostalgia to a simpler time of RPG's. Managing to capture and retain the magic of the old games in the series while bringing it into the present Dragon Quest is a game any RPG gamer worth their magic elixers should be pleased to own.
Story - 4
Gameplay - 5
Graphics - 4
Sound - 4
Lifespan - 5
Overall - 22/25
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
Seeing as there's talk of reviews maybe coming back i figured i'd start the ball rolling with a review of Dragon Quest 8 i did.
If you thought Final Fantasy made the fanboys wet themselves with excitement whenever a game in that series is released, this is nothing compared to the amount of hype a Dragon Quest release generates in Japan, so much so they are only allowed to release these games on a Sunday to stop schoolchildren and adults skipping school or work to go and queue up and buy it. Selling over 3 million copies on just its first weekend of release this should give you a sense of the high regard of which the Japanese hold this series which is very much warranted.
A classic old school type RPG this is basically the anti-Final Fantasy game, whereas Square try and take their series in all sorts of new directions, none of them good, Enix realise what the old school RPG gamer wants and give them it in spades. What you'll find here is a challenging, classic RPG that is not for the casual, impatient gamer. This game is long and will require alot of investment to get the best out of it.
Story - If you've ever played a Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior as it was known in the west until this installment) then you'll be in familiar territory, olden times mythology, castles, swords and sorcery, kingdoms and of course an un-named Hero, although this time he does go by the nickname "the guv'."
We join our intrepid hero along with the muscle of the group Yangus, a criminal gone good who has vowed to serve the guv' and protect him, King Trode, the ruler of Trodain who has been turned into a toad by the evil magician Dhoulmagus and a horse called Medea who is actually the Princess and another victim of Dhoulmagus' handywork. Their goal is to track down Dhoulmagus and defeat him to retrieve the holy scepter he stole from Trodain Castle and to hopefully get Trode and Medea back to their human forms and revenge for Dhoulmagus destroying their castle and all of their servants apart from Hero. If you are expecting a tale of intrigue and deceit with lots of twists and turns you're in the wrong place here, this is a very simple cookie-cutter style good vs evil premise which is easy to follow and understand.
Along the way you will add to your party a lady called Jessica, the resident magician of the party, who is out to defeat Dhoulmagus for killing her brother and a self confident Holy Templar Knight called Angelo who is more preoccupied with the vices of life rather than upholding the honor of the Templar Knights, a lifestyle which gets him kicked out by his brother and told to follow Hero and his group to try and find some meaning in his life and also to hit on Jessica while doing so.
Gameplay - This is standard old RPG fare which means classic random, turn based encounters. Luckily though whereas in some RPG's of this sort random battles soon become annoying continuous battles which impede progress, Dragon Quest manages to find a good balance and while there are plenty of battles to help you grow stronger and get ready for the final battle it doesn't feel like a chore to get from one area to the next and you won't grow tired of it.
Along the way characters will automatically learn spells and abilities to aid your party's cause and most abilities will overlap so different party members can take responsibility for healing or buffing. This helps in battles where a certain character may be weak against the enemy so you can use them to heal and strengthen the party so you'll hardly run into a battle where a character is totally useless.
Adding more skills and abilities is the skill point "tree". Every time you level your character will receive skill points which they can distribute among 5 different areas, which usually include 4 weapon proficiencies such as Swords and Staves and then a unique 5th ability (e.g Hero's is Courage and Jessica's is Sex Appeal) as you assign more skill points to different categories the party members will grow stronger in that area, so if you give Hero more points for his Swords skill he will deal more damage with a Sword then he would if he was attacking with an Spear. As you grow stronger in areas it will unlock more powerful abilities to deal quick death to your foes.
Dragon Quest will present the gamer with a stronger challenge than most RPG's of this generation, as you enter new areas the enemies will grow stronger and sometimes there is quite the spike in difficulty, especially if you venture out of town at night when there are stronger monsters usually hanging out in bigger groups, however if you keep battling and levelling up steadily it shouldn't prove to be frustratingly hard.
Graphics - Before the game was released there were alot of eyebrows raised at the decision to go with cel-shaded graphics. Pretty much the same reaction when Zelda went that route, however the change in Dragon Quest was more widely expected. Done by the folks at Level 5, responsible for the Dark Cloud games and the artistic work of Akira Toriyama (a name no doubt familiar to Dragon Ball Z fans) the game retains the feel of its predecessors while making the most of the new technology. All your old favourites such as Slimes, Drackies and Skeletons are now fully animated.
The areas you'll explore will vary from grassy hills and fields to sandy beaches, deserted wastelands, beautiful lakes and oceans, dark caves and of course towns ranging from the small poor towns to the beautiful and extravagant Kingdoms and Port Cities.
Music/Sound - Added to the Western versions the voicework is surprisingly unique with practically an all British cast. Yangus will be the most evident of this with his very cockney accent and unique dialect. Virtually all of the characters are very competently acted and add life to the character and help you to relate to and care about them.
The music is also very good and unique, ranging from the up-tempo and lively scores while visiting cities to the dark and quiet music you'll get while exploring dungeons, it helps add excitement and atmosphere. Although the continue game screen music does sound like something from The Sims which i found amusing.
Lifespan - Anyone who has played a Dragon Quest game before will know they are loooooooong and VIII is no exception with a story that will easily top 50-60 hours of play and with an alchemy side quest to allow you to make more powerful items and equipment, special enemies to battle around the world, a Casino to play in, skill points to maximise, mini medals to find and even an additional ending when you start up again in New Game+ this game will more than easily keep you occupied for a long time.
Overall - Dragon Quest is a great game that is more of a tribute to a older time of RPG's rather than an attempt to do anything new and ground-breaking. A game designed to challenge and give you a taste of nostalgia to a simpler time of RPG's. Managing to capture and retain the magic of the old games in the series while bringing it into the present Dragon Quest is a game any RPG gamer worth their magic elixers should be pleased to own.
Story - 4
Gameplay - 5
Graphics - 4
Sound - 4
Lifespan - 5
Overall - 22/25
If you thought Final Fantasy made the fanboys wet themselves with excitement whenever a game in that series is released, this is nothing compared to the amount of hype a Dragon Quest release generates in Japan, so much so they are only allowed to release these games on a Sunday to stop schoolchildren and adults skipping school or work to go and queue up and buy it. Selling over 3 million copies on just its first weekend of release this should give you a sense of the high regard of which the Japanese hold this series which is very much warranted.
A classic old school type RPG this is basically the anti-Final Fantasy game, whereas Square try and take their series in all sorts of new directions, none of them good, Enix realise what the old school RPG gamer wants and give them it in spades. What you'll find here is a challenging, classic RPG that is not for the casual, impatient gamer. This game is long and will require alot of investment to get the best out of it.
Story - If you've ever played a Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior as it was known in the west until this installment) then you'll be in familiar territory, olden times mythology, castles, swords and sorcery, kingdoms and of course an un-named Hero, although this time he does go by the nickname "the guv'."
We join our intrepid hero along with the muscle of the group Yangus, a criminal gone good who has vowed to serve the guv' and protect him, King Trode, the ruler of Trodain who has been turned into a toad by the evil magician Dhoulmagus and a horse called Medea who is actually the Princess and another victim of Dhoulmagus' handywork. Their goal is to track down Dhoulmagus and defeat him to retrieve the holy scepter he stole from Trodain Castle and to hopefully get Trode and Medea back to their human forms and revenge for Dhoulmagus destroying their castle and all of their servants apart from Hero. If you are expecting a tale of intrigue and deceit with lots of twists and turns you're in the wrong place here, this is a very simple cookie-cutter style good vs evil premise which is easy to follow and understand.
Along the way you will add to your party a lady called Jessica, the resident magician of the party, who is out to defeat Dhoulmagus for killing her brother and a self confident Holy Templar Knight called Angelo who is more preoccupied with the vices of life rather than upholding the honor of the Templar Knights, a lifestyle which gets him kicked out by his brother and told to follow Hero and his group to try and find some meaning in his life and also to hit on Jessica while doing so.
Gameplay - This is standard old RPG fare which means classic random, turn based encounters. Luckily though whereas in some RPG's of this sort random battles soon become annoying continuous battles which impede progress, Dragon Quest manages to find a good balance and while there are plenty of battles to help you grow stronger and get ready for the final battle it doesn't feel like a chore to get from one area to the next and you won't grow tired of it.
Along the way characters will automatically learn spells and abilities to aid your party's cause and most abilities will overlap so different party members can take responsibility for healing or buffing. This helps in battles where a certain character may be weak against the enemy so you can use them to heal and strengthen the party so you'll hardly run into a battle where a character is totally useless.
Adding more skills and abilities is the skill point "tree". Every time you level your character will receive skill points which they can distribute among 5 different areas, which usually include 4 weapon proficiencies such as Swords and Staves and then a unique 5th ability (e.g Hero's is Courage and Jessica's is Sex Appeal) as you assign more skill points to different categories the party members will grow stronger in that area, so if you give Hero more points for his Swords skill he will deal more damage with a Sword then he would if he was attacking with an Spear. As you grow stronger in areas it will unlock more powerful abilities to deal quick death to your foes.
Dragon Quest will present the gamer with a stronger challenge than most RPG's of this generation, as you enter new areas the enemies will grow stronger and sometimes there is quite the spike in difficulty, especially if you venture out of town at night when there are stronger monsters usually hanging out in bigger groups, however if you keep battling and levelling up steadily it shouldn't prove to be frustratingly hard.
Graphics - Before the game was released there were alot of eyebrows raised at the decision to go with cel-shaded graphics. Pretty much the same reaction when Zelda went that route, however the change in Dragon Quest was more widely expected. Done by the folks at Level 5, responsible for the Dark Cloud games and the artistic work of Akira Toriyama (a name no doubt familiar to Dragon Ball Z fans) the game retains the feel of its predecessors while making the most of the new technology. All your old favourites such as Slimes, Drackies and Skeletons are now fully animated.
The areas you'll explore will vary from grassy hills and fields to sandy beaches, deserted wastelands, beautiful lakes and oceans, dark caves and of course towns ranging from the small poor towns to the beautiful and extravagant Kingdoms and Port Cities.
Music/Sound - Added to the Western versions the voicework is surprisingly unique with practically an all British cast. Yangus will be the most evident of this with his very cockney accent and unique dialect. Virtually all of the characters are very competently acted and add life to the character and help you to relate to and care about them.
The music is also very good and unique, ranging from the up-tempo and lively scores while visiting cities to the dark and quiet music you'll get while exploring dungeons, it helps add excitement and atmosphere. Although the continue game screen music does sound like something from The Sims which i found amusing.
Lifespan - Anyone who has played a Dragon Quest game before will know they are loooooooong and VIII is no exception with a story that will easily top 50-60 hours of play and with an alchemy side quest to allow you to make more powerful items and equipment, special enemies to battle around the world, a Casino to play in, skill points to maximise, mini medals to find and even an additional ending when you start up again in New Game+ this game will more than easily keep you occupied for a long time.
Overall - Dragon Quest is a great game that is more of a tribute to a older time of RPG's rather than an attempt to do anything new and ground-breaking. A game designed to challenge and give you a taste of nostalgia to a simpler time of RPG's. Managing to capture and retain the magic of the old games in the series while bringing it into the present Dragon Quest is a game any RPG gamer worth their magic elixers should be pleased to own.
Story - 4
Gameplay - 5
Graphics - 4
Sound - 4
Lifespan - 5
Overall - 22/25