Dragon Quest IX

[CMoon]

Well, picked up DQ9 yesterday. Seems nice so far. Impressed by the 447 page strategy guide (certainly the biggest for a DS game). It this and Etrian Odyssey 3 are the DS's last big RPGs, that's not a bad way to go out. Still haven't finished Strange Journey, but unlike some other SMT games I feel that's one I can come back to easily.

I know some other people on this board have picked up the game. Not really interested in the whole multi-player thing (I don't even know how to make my DS go online...), but it seems like I can still get some of the random-dungeon maps through normal play.

[Klatrymadon]

I think you can only play the multiplayer games locally, mate. Nae wi-fi.

[linko9]

Well, picked up DQ9 yesterday. Seems nice so far. Impressed by the 447 page strategy guide (certainly the biggest for a DS game). It this and Etrian Odyssey 3 are the DS's last big RPGs, that's not a bad way to go out. Still haven't finished Strange Journey, but unlike some other SMT games I feel that's one I can come back to easily.

I know some other people on this board have picked up the game. Not really interested in the whole multi-player thing (I don't even know how to make my DS go online...), but it seems like I can still get some of the random-dungeon maps through normal play.

Let's not forget Golden Sun 3 and (for me at least) FF warriors of light. I just bought DQ9 myself, but I'm forcing myself to play a bit more Sin and Punishment 2 for a few days, since I know that as soon as I start a DQ game, I won't want to play anything else until I squeeze every ounce of enjoyability out of the game. And SMT:SJ was awesome; my first SMT game, and it's certainly encouraged me to check out other games in the series in the future.

[BryanM]

Since this is the unofficial Hikari no 4 Senshi thread, I feel compelled to mention the NA website has been releasing a little blurb on two classes per week. On a game as old as dirt.

It seems like a really nice little promo though - usually the websites for console games are just there to be there, you know? The only one I even remember are the GBA Devil Kids localization, where they had pics of like all the hundreds of monsters. That was unusual enough to stick out.

[linko9]

For someone who's favorite RPG is FFV, I was thrilled to hear that the game was even getting released in NA. I wish FF took after DQ more, and stuck to its roots.

[CMoon]

Actually I just bumped the 'rpg fan' thread so you guys could talk about those games. Would love to keep this a DQ9 (or at least other DQ games) thread.

[Skykid]

Started this yesterday and I like it so far. Never played any of the Dragon Quests so I'm willing to give it a chance.

I heard the PS2 one was rock hard so I steered clear (can't be bothered with too much grinding.)

[BryanM]

I heard the PS2 one was rock hard so I steered clear (can't be bothered with too much grinding.)

Step 1 - Cast Increase
Step 2 - Cast Sap
Step 3 - Cast Bikill

Congrats, you now outpower every monster you fight by a factor of 16. Cast Healall or Healus/Hustle Dance as necessary and repeat until the sun burns out.

[Jon]

Started this yesterday and I like it so far. Never played any of the Dragon Quests so I'm willing to give it a chance.

I heard the PS2 one was rock hard so I steered clear (can't be bothered with too much grinding.)

Only the post game stuff required grinding from what I remember. You should check it out, definitely one of the better traditional J-RPGs available for the PS2.

[CMoon]

I heard the PS2 one was rock hard so I steered clear

You were thinking of Dragon Warrior 7. DQ 8, and all the DQs on the DS are nice, easy, forgiving rpgs.

Note, someone is now going to complain about the games being too easy. Awesome!

[evil_ash_xero]

I've been playing the game, and I like it, but am disappointed with a couple of aspects. The fact that none of your characters have a character, really hurts the game. It makes the story far less involving than usual. That's my biggest complaint.

Small complaint is that, once again, I wish you had a core group of characters that had one primary outfit that you could just see the weapons change. The vast array of items you can apply your character with is interesting, but they always look goofy and lack personality.

[linko9]

10 hours in and loving it so far but why the hell do they keep changing the names of the monsters in the NA releases. Keep in mind I haven't played 8, but the names from the NES releases were pretty much all changed for 7, and now in 9 they're all changed again. Why is that Hork being called a Toxic Zombie, and why is that Wyvern all of a sudden a Chimaera?

[CMoon]

I like the badger series of monsters that are clearly tanuki. The fact they don't even slightly resemble badgers makes me wonder about the creative decisions when they were making US names for all the monsters.

[BryanM]

why the hell do they keep changing the names of the monsters in the NA releases.

They're trying to be more accurate. The chimeras were always "chimeras" (despite obviously being a footless vulture).

The spell names piss me off the most. Had my fill of useless spell names back in the old Phantasy Star days. Frizz and Fizz is like the translator just wrote "PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS FUCK U ALL FAGS" into the game.

In what universe is "Twinhits" better than Bikill, or "Hellblast" better than Jigo Spark? Just romanticize the original spell names if you want vague spell names - Merazoma and Palpunte are much better names than Kafrizz and whatever the hell they're calling Chance these days...

[CMoon]

Eh, anyway, I'm about 20 hours in and have been messing around with the class system. If the game was going to break down at some point and become a big pile of shit it would have done so by now. I'm pretty satisfied with it, though can understand how the makers of the game might be exasperated by the general lack of any innovation. This is, in effect, just another DQ game, though I think the game mechanics ARE better than 8 and I do like the direction they are going (albeit at a glacial tempo.)

Oh, and if that doesn't sound positive enough, what I really mean is I like it quite a bit--one of the better games on the DS and one of the better RPGs I've played of late.

[BryanM]

I do like how they added another tier to spells. As you all remember, by 5 they added an "Echo Hat" to the game, a helmet that doubled the spells that character would cast. Unlike say the Gem Box of FF6, this was a balancing feature to magic, to keep up with the damage inflation physical attacks got.

It's also nice that they made an effort to make classes somewhat unique. In Dragon Quest 3, the ideal spell caster was a fighting class (or the thief class in the remakes) and later on with the DQ6 era system, everyone had a skill buffet.

"Innovation" is one of those bullshit words everyone says they want but they really do not want. I don't want my steak served with ice cream and herpes on it, nor do I want a real-time Dragon Quest game. If they want to create a Diablo clone franchise, I'm all for it, but that isn't the product they're advertising with this brand.

"Don't confuse 'new' with 'innovative' - the latter assumes some level of non-suck."

"Innovation isn't the key to fun. Fun is the key to fun."

[Skykid]

I heard the PS2 one was rock hard so I steered clear

You were thinking of Dragon Warrior 7. DQ 8, and all the DQs on the DS are nice, easy, forgiving rpgs.

Oh right, been given plenty of mis-info then. I was told the opposite, that DQ was generally very hard as RPG's go. Some guy at work said he couldn't get past the first boss in the PS2 version and gave up... maybe he's just being rubbish.

why the hell do they keep changing the names of the monsters in the NA releases.

The game had me from Cruelcumber.

[Klatrymadon]

Some guy at work said he couldn't get past the first boss in the PS2 version and gave up... maybe he's just being rubbish.

I remember it being a perfectly straightforward introductory battle, but I think it did require a tiny bit of levelling up. He must have given up as soon as he got there.

[Jockel]

I think it's safe to say that VIII is rather easy by DQ standards, but if you only play Final Fantasy and suddenly are confronted with something thats remotely resembling a challenge, you're bound to fail.

[CMoon]

I don't want my steak served with ice cream and herpes on it

I think we need a new thread dedicated to amazing quotes. This would be in it.

I rather agree with you on innovation, however as much as I'm liking DQ9 (and have waited all this time for it), there were a few points where I felt like I had explored this same dungeon/tower/whatever 8 other times. Note, I'm a DQ fan and like you, I think if they change up DQ radically like they have FF, then like FF it will become unrecognizable. The beauty of DQ is that at their core, all the games are trying to do the same thing. Its funny to me that in the US this is probably the main criticism of the game, where in Japan this is probably the number one reason the series is so popular.

[Skykid]

I don't want my steak served with ice cream and herpes on it

I think we need a new thread dedicated to amazing quotes. This would be in it.

I rather agree with you on innovation, however as much as I'm liking DQ9 (and have waited all this time for it), there were a few points where I felt like I had explored this same dungeon/tower/whatever 8 other times. Note, I'm a DQ fan and like you, I think if they change up DQ radically like they have FF, then like FF it will become unrecognizable. The beauty of DQ is that at their core, all the games are trying to do the same thing. Its funny to me that in the US this is probably the main criticism of the game, where in Japan this is probably the number one reason the series is so popular.

Listen, you guys are DQ vets and I'm walking in for the first time. All I can say is fuck Final Fantasy, it wishes it was this good.

[linko9]

Glad that you're converted! Well now I'm around 30 hours in, and what I'm loving about this game is (among many other things), the wealth of information the game provides you with, which has been notoriously absent from past DQ games (keep in mind I haven't played 8, so I don't know what was introduced in that). Not only is there a bestiary, but you can see which items they drop, and how many of each of those items you've received from that monster. You can see where the monster appears, and how many of them you've killed. You can see every piece of equipment you've ever owned, and the stats for them. For every item you have, you can see where you found it (provided it can be found there again), or how you got it (even down to what enemy dropped it). These sorts of things make the game so much more enjoyable. I also really love the random dungeons, they remind me a lot of Dragon Warrior Monsters, my very first DQ game.

I do have a few complaints though. I wish there was a way to get the world map to display the names of the locations on it. Another thing is very minor, but I wish that when you were buying equipment, it would show you the potential stat changes for all of you stats, and not just the ones relevant to the thing you're buying. Also, while the music is excellent as ever, I think it's one of the weakest soundtracks in the series (which is still better than 99% of other games). Also, while I'm sure I still have a while to go to finish the main story, I haven't encountered a casino yet, which worries me. I always liked those.

[Elixir]

Started playing last night. First DQ game I've actually wanted to go back and play again--I'm really surprised, it's actually pretty good. I usually can't stand Toriyama's art, the "boy saves world" story, kingdom basis, ye olde english, etc. but this? I'll take this. The animation is also really well done.

So this is the game that was given 40/40 in Famitsu? My only complaint would be the touchscreen controls, where it almost begs you to use the dpad for in-battle commands due to how small the text is, but when walking around towns, using the stylus feels awkward and weird.

[Klatrymadon]

I like using it out in the overworld, just because I feel like I'm destroying the d-pad on the longer journeys. Wherever you initially tap is set as the neutral zone, and you only have to move in a tiny wee circle around it.

[Skykid]

Glad that you're converted!

Well I'm more an overall game nut than a dedicated RPG nut. I feel as though my best RPG'ing days died with the SNES and I lost interest after that. I have, however, had numerous modern RPG's shoved under my nose (Resonance of Fate, FFXIII) all of which justified my pessimism regarding the state of modern gaming just being not up to scratch, and more importantly, lacking soul.

DQIX is very much an old-school RPG with modern touches, including plenty good use of the hardware features and online stuff. And it's got pace too - no bullshit 25 minute melodramatic monologues in sight.
The visuals are fantastic, the characters are really cool and the whole thing is a breeze to get into.

I'm really digging the fact that this type of RPG, one that enthrals with charm and simplicity and very much back to basic design, can still exists in the current gaming climate, and proves that you can update a proven system without having to break the damn thing.

Final Fantasy is dead to me. Long live Dragon Quest.

[CMoon]

If it makes you feel any better, I was into rpgs back in the 80's/very early 90's via the Wizardry games, Ultima, etc., but when I got into console gaming I couldn't stand them. DQ7 was actually my first DQ and I had mixed feelings about it (it's a great game, but one I've come to appreciate more with time), and it was DQ8 that got me really hooked. 4 & 5 coming out on the DS has been a godsend. Someone with good memory may recall me begging for good rpgs after DQ8 on this board, and that's when I first heard about Nocturne, and now DQ & SMT are two of my favorite RPG families.

Oh, and I think the Bestiary has been in the series for a while. 7 & 8 definitely had it, and I believe the DS versions of 4 & 5 also had it. This includes all the information about drops, etc.

Speaking of 7, this does need a DS version and I say that because 7 needs a NICE version. More money, more experience, less tedium. It could be a lot more playable with a few tweaks.

[Skykid]

Was DS Chapters of the Chosen a remake of 4?

I did have this briefly and liked it, but I didn't stick with it as the weird spherical scrolling of the screen really put me off.

[CMoon]

Was DS Chapters of the Chosen a remake of 4?

I did have this briefly and liked it, but I didn't stick with it as the weird spherical scrolling of the screen really put me off.

Yeah, that's 4. 4 and 5 both have that presentation, and 7 is very similar.

[Jockel]

Was DS Chapters of the Chosen a remake of 4?

I did have this briefly and liked it, but I didn't stick with it as the weird spherical scrolling of the screen really put me off.

Try Hands of the Heavenly Bride (5) some time later, it's way better!

[BryanM]

I haven't encountered a casino yet, which worries me. I always liked those.

No casino grind. Assume the seppuku position now.