Dragon Quest VIII

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 5:13 am

I love this game as well, it's simply the most stunning PS2 game I've ever played! However, I need some help with landscape changes.

I beat the first boss, and returned the crystal ball to it's owner.

However, after being told to head south to Alexandria, I only find myself heading towards the cave again! I'm now at a Port town, but everyone there tells me to talk to someone in Alexandria-but I cannot get there, or get the next memeber or my party, until the landscape changes again, and shows the broken bridge-how in the world do I get it to do that??

And do I need to go back to Farebury to make the broken bridge appear again? According to one FAQ on this game, it's near the broken bridge that you aqquire your next party member.

Kevin · Post by **Kevin** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 8:31 am

It's been a while since I did the waterfall cave, but I'm pretty sure all you have to do after you return the crystal ball is leave town by the exit that faces the waterfall and take the other fork (left) in the road that leads to the checkpoint. Keep going until you find Alexandria.

judesalmon · Post by **judesalmon** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 9:04 am

Yeah - follow the signs for the Southern Checkpoint.

SAM · Post by **SAM** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 12:59 pm

If you keep walking on the road, you cann't miss Alexandria.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 6:02 pm

OK. thanks fot that advice. EDIT, made it to Alexandria today!

Man, I just love this game! I hope that it does well enough that Square Enix considers porting V and VI over to the US; as those are the only games in the series that are not available to those who don't know Japanese. A double -pack with both would rock!

scrilla4rella · Post by **scrilla4rella** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 12:11 am

Do any more of you guys have some opinions regarding Dragon Quest VIII versuses Dragon Warrior VII. I was all hyped about VIII but I have this feeling like I should play 7 first. I have no problem with old graphcs and I will be able to appreciate old-school at any time, however I think that good looking modern 3D graphics will look less impressive and age at an accelerated rate in relation to older games. hmmm, which to buy...

Any of y'all played both?

UnscathedFlyingObject · Wed Dec 07, 2005 12:55 am

I played the DQ8 demo, and it was ok. They messed with stuff they shouldn't had to mess with but most people seem to like it. It's more "epic" and "newer school". You have pictures of your characters in the menus, 3D models showing off their stuff, and characters that speak 'cause most of us in America can't read. Check the rest of what I've written.

As for DW7, I think it's better than DQ8. The music is better, the battles are better, the dungeons are better, the camera doesn't get on my nerves, and it doesn't mess with stuff it shouldn't be messing with. A lot of people don't like DW7, however, it's "outdated." I like to call these people sellouts.

scrilla4rella · Post by **scrilla4rella** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 1:08 am

seriously, why the fuck does every new RPG need voice acting in the US. It just distracts me. Even If the voiceacting is well done it usually just slows me down. I like imagining the voices myself.

Looks like I will be buying VII. MIDI music here I come. Maybe by the time i'll finish it DQIX will be out.

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 2:14 am

UnscathedFlyingObject wrote:A lot of people don't like DW7, however, it's "outdated." I like to call these people sellouts.

Or because the pacing is positively glacial. No other DQ game approaches the sheer tedium of VII, so it's not as if it was carrying on a legacy or something there. And the english translation is pretty terrible. There are valid reasons for a DQ fan to not enjoy part VII.

scrilla4rella wrote:Do any more of you guys have some opinions regarding Dragon Quest VIII versuses Dragon Warrior VII. I was all hyped about VIII but I have this feeling like I should play 7 first. I have no problem with old graphcs and I will be able to appreciate old-school at any time, however I think that good looking modern 3D graphics will look less impressive and age at an accelerated rate in relation to older games.

DQVII doesn't look charmingly old school. DQV does, DQVI does... hell, even the GBC remakes do. VII is just a big blocky mess of hideous polygons with awful textures. The sprites are just the icing on the cake, and are the best looking part of it. Don't go in thinking "oh, people hate the graphics because it's old-school"... it isn't. It's everything wrong with Playstation 3D wrapped up in one package.

Graphics don't make or break a game, obviously, but since you mentioned concerns about how they'll age, I figured I might as well bring it up.

Oh, and again, the voices in DQVIII can be turned off. Don't like them? Don't listen to them.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 2:21 am

i'm glad this is turning out to be a good game.

i hope to pick it up soon, here's to hoping that my attention span will see me through. all rpgs i've tried for the past couple years (since i met shmups) have been no-gos.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Wed Dec 07, 2005 3:18 am

sethsez wrote:
UnscathedFlyingObject wrote:A lot of people don't like DW7, however, it's "outdated." I like to call these people sellouts.
Or because the pacing is positively glacial. No other DQ game approaches the sheer tedium of VII, so it's not as if it was carrying on a legacy or something there. And the english translation is pretty terrible. There are valid reasons for a DQ fan to not enjoy part VII.

I found unlocking new islands and eventually the world to be enough of a reason to continue playing. And besides, since when does DQ games have "fast paced" stories? You don't even get to play as yourself (the hero) in Dragon Warrior 4 until you get to the final chapter (the whole game is a side story til you hit the end.)

About the quality of DW7, I liked it so whatever. DQ8 isn't that better anyways.

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 3:31 am

They're not fast-paced, but they're not amazingly plodding, either. If Final Fantasy is running at full speed and Dragon Quest is a calm stroll, then DQVII is hobbling along with a walker. It's definitely slower than any other game in the series by a pretty fair margin.

And uh, I thought you hadn't played DQVIII beyond the demo yet?

UnscathedFlyingObject · Wed Dec 07, 2005 4:17 am

sethsez wrote:They're not fast-paced, but they're not amazingly plodding, either. If Final Fantasy is running at full speed and Dragon Quest is a calm stroll, then DQVII is hobbling along with a walker. It's definitely slower than any other game in the series by a pretty fair margin.

And uh, I thought you hadn't played DQVIII beyond the demo yet?

Have you played DQ7 in its entirety?

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 4:32 am

I got about halfway through the second disc, which is still much much much much much further than you've gotten in DQVIII.

Unless the game miraculously picks up after awakening all the spirits (which I seriously doubt), I think it's safe to say that it's the slowest DQ by a long shot.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Wed Dec 07, 2005 4:39 am

Well, I didn't find DQ8's story to move much faster than DQ7's. It just has a lot of cutscenes that make it seem like the story is moving along. You just do a lot of what you do in DQ, wander around a lot, but I quickly got annoyed at the things I've mentioned before.

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 4:47 am

So you have played the full game?

UnscathedFlyingObject · Wed Dec 07, 2005 5:13 am

Nah, I don't have the cash yet. I blew it on Mario Kart DS. There's so many broken games nowadays, all geared toward noobs and newgens.

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 5:17 am

So... you haven't played it, but you're convinced it's broken, and you know that its story moves at the same pace as VII despite having played only the demo, which covers an amazingly small portion of the thing.

Um. Right.

Maybe you should actually play the game before you start talking about pacing or plot? I mean, how can you say Well, I didn't find DQ8's story to move much faster than DQ7's if you haven't even played DQ8? What, exactly, are you basing this on?

UnscathedFlyingObject · Wed Dec 07, 2005 5:30 am

On the demo, don't blame me because they made a demo that didn't convince me to buy it on many levels. I thought demos were supposed to have a juicy part of the game to convince you to buy the game not otherwise. And hey, there was a lot more wandering around than in DQ7 and there were far superior dungeons in DQ7. I don't have the cash for both games, so I chose Mario Kart DS because DQ8 got on my nerves.

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 5:48 am

...it's a demo for an RPG. These almost always suck, and you should know more than anyone that DQ isn't the kind of game you can make a decent demo for.

And again, you can't judge a plot's pacing based on a demo. That doesn't even make sense... there's barely any plot there.

scrilla4rella · Post by **scrilla4rella** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 6:17 am

One thing that I really did like about the DQVIII demo was the world map and how it hinted at a sense of exploration. Other reviews seem to praise the exploration aspect, which is something that I really miss in RPGs lately.

The pacing of the battles seemed a little whack compared to DQ V and III but I guess thats to be expected in a 3d game.

What about the abilities? Does the greatly reduced amount of abilities in VIII make much of a difference. DQVIII probably has more abilities then III did but I just hate the idea of the system being scaled down because of the move to 3D. It's why I could not stand Front Mission 4 but absolutley love Front Mission 3.

SAM · Post by **SAM** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 5:15 am

For you guys who wanted to get the OST...

Orchestrat Version

http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASI ... 63-4933049

US$35, 2 CDs, shipped internationally.

MIDI Version (Orginal Soundtrack)

http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASI ... 63-4933049

For those who like the nostalgia version...

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 10:59 am

Finally beat it.

This is among the best in the series, easily capable of hanging with III and V. It's not the uber-hardcore JRPG that VII was, but then, none of the other games in the series were really like that. It reminds me most of III, just in the overall feel and pacing.

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 11:12 pm

Dammit, more people should be talking about this.

It's the best RPG in ages (my pick for RPG of this generation) and most of the thread seems to center around "why'd they ditch the MIDI?"

*sigh*

MadSteelDarkness · Post by **MadSteelDarkness** » Sat Dec 24, 2005 4:50 am

Yep, 'tis a fine game indeed. I'm about 87 hours in and pretty well near the end, I think. I've been taking my time with this one, trying to get all the unique ("infamous") monsters and treasure chests, and spending way too much time gambling.

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Sat Dec 24, 2005 2:56 pm

You MUST get Jessica's whip at Baccarat. Combined with psyching up, Oomph and Twin Dragon Lash (or whatever it's called), it can create the most powerful physical attack in the game. Liquid Metal Armours are a must, too.

What monster team are you using?

MadSteelDarkness · Post by **MadSteelDarkness** » Sun Dec 25, 2005 12:22 am

^The big stone bastard, Talos, along with the two robots, Cybot and Roborg(?), have gotten me pretty far, within just one monster of taking the Rank A championship. I've tried an all demon team, but that didn't do the trick, and I've tried doing some mixing and matching with some of the other heavy hitters, but I've yet to crack that championship. I think I've got to go back and snag a couple of the monsters I've let go, and see what that does for me.

How 'bout you, man?

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Sun Dec 25, 2005 1:49 am

Talos, Capers (just because he's worked for me so far), and Brontes. However, I'm currently trying to fill the My Three Golems team, which'll be extremely useful for the bonus stuff (since I truly can't beat this game without getting everything, which will take a significant chunk of time).

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Sun Dec 25, 2005 11:32 pm

Ha! I'm only up around the 24 hour mark, so of course, I don't know about the rest of these things you speak of, but YES, this is certainly one of the best rpgs I've played for a while. One where everything just feels right. The whole 'exploring the whole world' bit is really great. I didn't play much of the old dragon warrior/quest games, but this one definitely manages the whole nostalgia trip, even for the old-school non-console rpgs, like Wizardry, Ultima and Might and Magic. Yes! I think I can say safely this one is a GREAT rpg!

scrilla4rella · Post by **scrilla4rella** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 10:38 pm

yup, im buying this shit today. As soon as I can get a sack and pay off my bills. I can't wait!!