Announcing... Dragon Quest Fest!

So... the week long series of reviews isn't going to be happening this week.  Sorry about that. 

However, I am going to start a project that may take a little while to complete but should be worth it in the end: Dragon Quest Fest. 

In some ways this has already been started because there are reviews of Dragon Quest VIII and IV already on the site, but I am gradually going to add reviews of all of the other main entries in the series and perhaps DQ Monsters Joker 2 as well.  My review of Dragon Quest IX will be published as part of my week of reviews which I really hope will happen next week now, and Dragon Quest V shouldn't be too far off either as I am just reaching the end of the second major part of the game on my commute to work.

Unfortunately, when I changed templates a while ago my review of DQVIII got mangled in the process, so my first job is to go back, fix all the paragraph spacing and weird extra characters that were added, find some screen shots to liven it up and some video if there is some available.  There will also be one other special article on the series as whole that I hope to get up by the end of this week.

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen review

My first experience with the Dragon Quest series was the excellent 8th installment in the series, Journey of the Cursed King for the PS2 (check out my review here). Since then I have been keen to play through some of the earlier games in the series, and Square-Enix's decision to re release the "Zenithia trilogy" - IV, V and VI - has given me the perfect opportunity. Does the game play still match up to modern day RPG's, or is this one too old school for its own good?

Format: Nintendo DS
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: ArtePiazza
Genre: Turn based RPG
Expect to pay: £10 - £15

Graphics: 6 out of 10
When I first fired up my cartridge of Chapters of the Chosen, my initial thought was "God, that's ugly!" The graphics for towns and dungeons are quite blocky, and the NPC's wandering are incredibly pixellated sprites. There are a few instances that actually look quite nice, especially when the game makes a feature of the dungeons and spreads them across both screens, but for the most part the graphics are decidedly average.

Fortunately things do improve somewhat once you get into battle with the many monsters. Akira Toriyamas classic designs are both well drawn and witty, and the animations are pretty good too. So on the whole the game won't exactly blow you away with its visuals like Dragon Quest VIII did, but it is running on a DS rather than a PS2, after all. Don't be off put by the rather crude visuals, as the game more than makes up for it in other key areas.

Sound and Music: 8 out of 10
The soundtrack composed by series regular Koichi Sugiyama is extremely catchy - particularly the upbeat town theme. Most of the music of the game sounds a little synthy, with the exception of the Dragon Quest main theme that plays on the title screen which is the symphonic version.

The same classic sound effects for spells, slime attacks and the like that have featured in every single entry in the series since the first one are all present and correct. For DQ fans, that comfy sense of nostalgia that the game creates is all down to little details like this remaining constant so you can't really knock the developers too much for sticking to a long standing tradition.

This shot demonstrates how the game uses both screens to show you more of the scenery. The sprites don't look too bad here but their blurriness is exacerbated by movement.

Game Mechanics: 7 out of 10
At its core, this is about as traditional an RPG as you're ever likely to play, with random encounters, turn based battles and plenty of grinding, but within the framework of the series Enix did play around with the formula a little for this entry. After a fairly brief prologue as a hero that you get to name yourself, you are whisked off to take control of the first of many characters, Ragnar McRyan, a heroic old knight with a Scottish accent who has been tasked with tracking down some missing children. Eventually, this chapter will end, and the focus will shift to another character for the next 8 or so hours. This happens four times until you eventually regain control of the character from the prologue again in chapter 5, and track down all of the others to create one big party in order to take down the main baddy of the game.

The highlight of the whole game for me was the chapter centred around the character of Torneko Taloon. He starts of working behind the counter in a small town shop for a thankless boss but he harbours aspirations of setting up his own business. Eventually he/you get to do just that, and you can take any excess armour or weaponry dropped from random encounters back to your loyal wife to sell off. This actually gives the grinding that you have to do a purpose and makes it addictive to boot. Eventually Torneko earns enough gold to build a tunnel through to the neighbouring kingdom, where he decides to travel onwards, and his wife converts the shop into a bank, but for that brief section of the game it's fun to do something a little outside of the norm for an RPG. Torneko has become such a beloved character to fans of the series that he was given several spin off games of his own.

Dragon Quest is often regarded as quite an old fashioned RPG franchise, and it is in many ways, but in a few key areas the designers really were ahead of their time. Should your entire party be wiped out you don't get sent to a Game Over screen for example, instead you lose half of whatever gold your currently carrying, your main character is resurrected at the nearest church and you have to pay to bring back your fallen comrades. There are also spells such as Evac that quickly transports you to the start of a dungeon, and Zoom which lets you instantly travel to major towns that you've visited before, and you can avoid having your funds slashed in half but putting any excess cash in the bank before setting off to whatever dungeon you have to visit next. All of these aids combined meant that I never felt afraid to go off and explore even if I was under levelled.

There are several places throughout the game where the next boss will be a significantly higher level than you, however, especially towards the end of the game, so inevitably you will have to grind for experience and gold so that you can buy better equipment for your party. In every Dragon Quest game you can find rare metal slimes though, that dish out much higher amounts of experience than any other monster, and it's possible to seek out a weapon that can kill them fairly easily, so at least there are a handful of areas in the game that you can stick around in and farm them for levels much quicker than you would be able to otherwise.

Here he is, ladies and gentlemen - Torneko Taloon

Innovation and Cleverness: 5 out of 10
I'm going to give Chapters of the Chosen a few points here because of Torneko's chapter that I have just mentioned, as it really is different than anything I've experienced in an RPG before (I expect somebody somewhere has ripped off the idea but I haven't discovered it yet).
For the most part though DQ's battle mechanics, atmosphere and style had been established long before this entry... but to fans that's where a lot of the charm lies - the simplicity, the familiarity, the pure addictive gameplay - so I can't bring myself to be too harsh to the game in this regard.

Value and Replayability: 7 out of 10
I don't think Dragon Quest has really caught on in Europe, which is a shame, but on the other hand it does mean that you can pick up the DS games fairly cheaply. This one cost me a £10 brand new when I bought it in the summer, and for that price I got almost 40 hours of gameplay from it - which is an awful lot for a handheld game.

I doubt you will replay the game once done with it, especially considering how many amazing new games are constantly being released, not to mention that there are many other game in the same franchise to try out as well.

Overall: 8 out of 10When I was really into this game I couldn't stop playing it, and my other consoles including the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii remained unplayed while I worked my way through the story. The rather large amount of grinding before facing the final boss and the bonus content put me off a little bit and I stopped playing for a while, but I always intended to come back and finish the game off (which I have done just recently). I've already started on the next game in the series, Hand of the Heavenly Bride, and I also look forward to the release of part VI: Realms of Reverie and the all new part IX: Defender of the Starry Sky later on this year. It's a very good time to get into the Dragon Quest series!

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King review

It's been a while but finally it's time for me to share my thoughts of Dragon Quest VII: Journey of the Cursed King for the PS2. I am also introducing a new more detailed ratings system with this review and splitting the review into several different criteria. Without further ado, let's get on with the review shall we?

Format: PlayStation 2
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Level 5
Genre: Turn based RPG
Region: NTSC (USA)
Price: Around £10

The Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior) series is one of the pioneers of the console RPG scene. Together with the Final Fantasy games in the mid 80's, it set the template for the entire genre that followed. Unfortunately, apart from the occasional US release that was appreciated by fans but pretty much overlooked by everyone else, western gamers have had to go without. At last Square-Enix have seen the error of their ways, as the US release of DQ8 shows. It is actually even better than the Japanese game, due to a soundtrack that has been completely performed by a full orchestra (the Tokyo Philharmonic no less), a brilliant localisation, and improved menu's. Not only that, but Square-Enix recently announced that it is going to be released in Europe, which marks the very first time that we have ever received a game in the series. I beg, urge, plead, beseech, implore you to go out and buy a copy of this game if you are in any way interested in the RPG genre and a PS2 owner. It was incredibly close to being my favourite game of 2005 (and if it wasn't for Resident Evil 4, it would have been).

Graphics: 10 out 10
As you can see from the screenshots, DQ8 looks amazing. After around 70 hours of playing the game though, you will be even more in awe of what Level 5 has managed to produce on the aging PS2. It's the attention to detail that really grabbed me. In other games that feature huge worlds where you're free to go where you want, such as World of Warcraft, the sense of realism is let down by the repetition of the architecture. Every Night Elf settlement is basically made up of the exact same building, for example.

In DQ8 though, every town has been created thoughtfully by hand, so each inn, church, shop, or whatever looks different to all the others. Even decorative items like paintings, carpets, and flowers blowing in the wind have been painstakingly placed down, which makes the world feel real, and makes you want to explore the world all the more to find out what surprises lie around the next corner.

There is also a wide variety of monsters to encounter, ranging from the creepy to the silly, and each one has their own range of attack animations. Really and truly, the graphics is the main area that DQ8 differs from all the other games in the series. Everything else about the game has been left intact, but Level 5 has brought the series visually right up to date at the cutting edge of what you can achieve on the PS2.

Sound and Music: 10 out of 10
Yes, that's right, another 10 out 10. Get used to it folks, this game really is that good. To be honest though, you may not agree with me on this one if you absolutely hate classical music. That's not to say I'm a classical fan boy, but when it is appropriate and done as well as it is here, a composition of a more symphonic nature really enhances the overall product. Noisy death metal or hip hop just wouldn't have worked. The music does tend to repeat a little bit (which is hardly surprising given the games length) but personally I never got tired of it.

Square-Enix went above and beyond the call of duty when they localised DQ8 for the American audience. Whereas other lesser companies may have been content just to translate the text (sometimes extremely badly), S-E not only enlisted the talents of the Tokyo Philharmonic to rerecord the score, but they also hired the UK studio Side. Thanks to Side's commitment to delivering quality voice work and finding new voice talent for each project, the characters in DQ8 really come alive. My particular favourite is Yangus, who kind of sounds like a seedier version of Bob Hoskins. The only voice that can tend to grate after a while is King Trode, but by the end I even found him quite likeable.

As for sound effects, Level 5 took the clever approach of keeping the classic effects from the old NES and SNES Dragon Quest games, which helps cement the feeling that Level 5 haven't just created an RPG and slapped on he Dragon Quest name, but they've really looked at what made the old games so special and somehow managed to capture the essence and reproduce it here in this game. This feeling is present in every aspect of the game, from the monsters, the music, the wondrous world, right through the menus and battle system. It really is one of the greatest 2D to 3D transitions the gaming world has ever seen (up there with Zelda Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64 and Metroid Prime in my opinion).

The amount of detail present on the character models still impress today despite the prevelance of HD.

Plot and Character: 8 out of 10
DQ8 only has four playable characters, which is considerably less than most modern RPG's. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, far from it. What is allowed Level 5 to do is focus more on those characters and give them enough depth for the player to form a connection with them. Alongside the hero, Yangus, Jessica and Angelo are King Trode and the princess, however. These two characters are the catalyst for the whole plot - when the kingdom of Trodain is cursed by the jester Dhoulmagus, they set out to try and track him down and reverse the evil effects of the curse. These include turning King Trode into a green toad-like thing and the princess into a horse, as well as covering Trodain Castle in vines and turning the population into stone.

The main character is a member of the royal guard and the only other person apart from the King and Princess not to be turned to stone. He valiantly agrees to continue to protect the royal family on their journey across the world, and reformed criminal Yangus decides to go with him. Yangus has a habit of calling the main character "Guv" all the time, and it is clear that some event in the past ties the two together. Along the journey the party will encounter Jessica, a spirited and "well endowed" young woman who is adept at magic, and Angelo, an orphaned Templar Knight.

While the plot is rather traditional and it doesn't really hold that many surprises for experienced RPG players, the colourful characters are more than enough to sustain your interest. As well as the main six I've already mentioned, you will also meet people like Morrie (owns a Monstrous Pit) and many many others throughout all the towns you will explore. There is definitely something of a storybook charm to the plot, it's like a lost Grimm Fairy Tale.

Game Mechanics: 8 out of 10
DQ8 sticks with the tried and true random encounter model for initiating battles, which some players can find rather tiresome but I don't really have a problem with. The only time it can be a nuisance is when you need to go out or go to bed and you're trying to get back to somewhere that you can save, and the pesky monsters keep attacking you.

The battle system itself initially seems rather basic but the further you get into the game the deeper it gets. It's a traditional turn based set up whereby you tell each character what to do and then sit back and watch as both parties take turns whacking each other. As the characters level up you have to decide which of four areas you want to level your characters in, which differs depending on the character. For examples, Jessica has Whips, Fists, two other weapons which I forget... and Sex Appeal. I personally spent half of my points in a particular weapon proficiency and the other half in each character unique ability - in this case Sex Appeal. As her sexiness got higher, more and more monsters would simply stop and stare longingly at her instead of attacking. Brilliant!

Then there is the tension gauge, which can be increased up to 100 and muliplies the amount of damage you can do to an enemy. Combined with Jessica's Oomph spell this can be devastating, and is a great help against many of the bosses. Don't think you can simply use the same technique all the way through the game though, as quite a few bosses have a special move which wipes out any positive status effects on your party in one go.

Before buying the game I had heard how tough it is, and it very nearly put me off buying it. I'm glad I put my fears aside however, as while the game is indeed difficult, it is fairly so. This means that as long as you don't skip battles, keep your equipment up to date and keep your wits about you, most battles can be won without too much hassle. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security however as even some of the lowliest monsters have abilities than can kill your party members instantly.

One thing that did irritate me about the mechanics of the game though is the menu and inventory. I just found it a bit cumbersome do use and not as well designed as it could have been. Apparently it has already been improved since the Japanese version, but on this evidence not quite enough.

All in all Dragon Quest VIII is very much a traditional RPG under the hood. There are a few new ideas to help give the old formula a bit of spice but most of the mechanics can be traced back all the way to the first game in the series. This is by no means a bad thing, as it helps the game keep the feel of the series that has made it so special to fans over the years. It may be a bit harsh for those just starting out in the world of RPG's however.

All four playable characters: Yangus, the hero, Jessica, and Angelo

Innovation and Cleverness: 7 out of 10DQ8 doesn't score all the highly on the innovation front - like I said before most of what you can find here has already been done elsewhere in the genre, or even the same game series. What makes DQ8 unique though is the sheer polish and attention to detail the developers have lavished upon it. It runs throughout everything - the graphics, the music, the voice over work, the length of the game, the plot and its side quests. A Final Fantasy game may look pretty, but it can't compete with the professional job done here. These things considered I believe DQ8 deserves a 7 in this category, not because it's particularly innovative, but because of the clever way it pulls everything off.

Value and Replayability: 9 out of 10

DQ8 took me 73 hours to complete. 73 hours! I can't remember a game that took me that long before (Skies of Arcadia comes close at around 60 but still doesn't quite match DQ8 for sheer size). Now if half of those hours were spent wading through tedious gameplay, then the game may as well have been half as long. However, for me at least, DQ8 managed the difficult task of remaining fun to play all the way through to the end (and beyond).

This 73 hour run did include some side quests, but I'm fairly certain I didn't do all of them. The main side quest in the game is the Monster Arena, where you can defeat certain special monsters in the overworld and recruit them in your personal Monster Team. Like in other RPG's that feature a monster arena (Arc the Lad 2 for example) you don't have direct control of the monsters themselves, so you just have to sit by and hope that the monsters are strong enough/clever enough to defeat three other teams on their own. Moving up through the ranks gives you various benefits, including many specials items, and the ability to summon your monster team in regular combat, which can be very useful indeed against the more vicious bosses in the game. The owner of the Monster Area, or Monstrous Pit as he refers to it, is one of the most colourful character in the game, and even side characters like him are given the full voice over treatment.

Then we have the Mini Medals, which have been a staple in the DQ series for many years now. You can find these things every where throughout the world in chests, pots, barrels and bags, and you can trade them in for special equipment at Minnie's Castle. This encourages you to thoroughly explore the game world (as if the beautiful graphics weren't enough encouragement) and seek out every last one. Trust me, the later items really make the task worthwhile.

While this is truly an amazing game, one of the best the PS2 has ever seen, whether you will come back and play it again is debatable. This is mainly down to the huge size of the game. Maybe in a year or two you will come back and play it again, but personally I hardly ever play the same RPG again, unless it's one I really love (Skies of Arcadia and Shenmue being examples).

Overall: 9 out of 10

While there are a few niggles with the menu's and the challenging, lengthy nature of the game could well be off putting for some, I have no doubt that this will be remembered as one of the crowning glories of the PS2 era. The quality of Final Fantasy X doesn't even come close to this game. So what if it doesn't really shake up the classic Dragon Quest formula? That's not what fans of the series want. Level 5, Yuji Horii and Square Enix have worked miracles with this game, producing breathtaking visuals and sound, backed up by deep and absorbing gameplay. If you're looking for a quality quest for the PS2 to get your teeth into, there are many choices available, but Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King should be at the top of the list.