Dragon Quest IX

[DragonmasterDan]

Is anyone besides me on these boards playing it?

[Vyse of Arcadia]

If it isn't in my mailbox this afternoon I will be very unhappy. I'd better have it by Thursday, at least. I've 4 hours in a car to look forward to.

I've gotta stop preordering stuff from Amazon.

[Sonic#]

I'm in Vyse's camp. It's currently coming through the mail system.

Wait. Checked the mail just now. I've got it!

[Werefrog]

I got it yesterday. I'm really enjoying it. It's way too easy though for a Dragon Quest game. Maybe I should release a character from my party...

[Vyse of Arcadia]

I got it yesterday. I'm really enjoying it. It's way too easy though for a Dragon Quest game. Maybe I should release a character from my party...

That was the case with the other DS Dragon Quests. They started out stupid easy and then got progressively harder until they were back to NES-level difficulty. I'm thinking DQIX will be the same.

[Nobiyuki77]

Got it. Made a Luna for my party too. ^_^

[Werefrog]

Got it. Made a Luna for my party too. ^_^

Is she a minstrel?

[Kaiya-Sky]

What is it like? I've never played a dragon quest game. I'm thinking about getting it, but i don't really know much about it.

[Kizyr]

I started playing it last year, before some other games got in the way. It was really fun, despite being my first DQ title, and I got rather into it. KF

[DragonmasterDan]

What is it like? I've never played a dragon quest game. I'm thinking about getting it, but i don't really know much about it.

Well, Dragon Quest is a whismical and charming RPG series with a light hearted tone.
The games in the series are more like Chrono Trigger in terms of visual style and mood (the two key people behind Dragon Quest also made Chrono Trigger in artist Akira Toriyama and scenerio writer Yuji Horii), with a traditional RPG battle system.
I hope that gives you a better explanation

[Sonic#]

I spent 5 hours playing it yesterday. >_> Besides the main minstrel, a tall, silver-haired boy with golden eyes named Gawain, I have a mage with vibrant pink hair and sleepy eyes named Lilian, a green-haired martial artist named Sandra, and a red-haired thief, Fay.

It's been a pretty good mix so far. I find that being able to dress them and so on is enough to give them distinct personalities in my mind.

What is it like? I've never played a dragon quest game. I'm thinking about getting it, but i don't really know much about it.

In addition to DD's description, it's got the cutest monsters this side of Pokemon.

[DragonmasterDan]

In addition to DD's description, it's got the cutest monsters this side of Pokemon.

Meowgicians are far cuter than anything in Pokemon

In any event, the series has a tremendous amount of charm to it, which has to be experienced to be fully understood.

Added in edit: Dragon Quest 8 on PS2 is extremely inexpensive and fairly easy to obtain. If you've not played the series, it's a great pickup.

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/Product ... t_id=38545
or
http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Quest-VIII ... 725&sr=8-1

[Vyse of Arcadia]

What is it like? I've never played a dragon quest game. I'm thinking about getting it, but i don't really know much about it.

Pretty much what the others said. Take an RPG, remove all the angst, then fill with charming adorable goodness. Toss in traditional gameplay concepts, an excellent soundtrack, and some of the best localizations of all time (particularly DQVIII.) Serve chilled.

I still haven't found IX in my mailbox, so I don't know if it's a good starting point or not. Honestly, I'd recommend VIII the most to series newcomers, although V and VII are my favorites. VIII is on PS2, it's crazy cheap right now, and it was developed by Level 5, so it's extremely pretty. It also simplified the gameplay somewhat from VII (no job system), and although the plot isn't the best DQ has to offer, it easily has the best characters. Here, have a trailer.

Incidentally, that's the Japanese trailer, because the NA one is god awful. Tried to make the game out as something dark and moody, which it is definitely not, to appeal to the angsty and angry American audience. (Alliteration! +500 bonus points.)

[Kaiya-Sky]

Thanks everyone ^^
I think im going to get it, along with a few others now.

[Sonic#]

best localizations

A question - has anyone else noticed a few irregularities in the translations of this one? It's nothing like typos, but little instances where I feel like something's off. Idioms where they use "minute" instead of "moment," things like that?

Otherwise, it's still a very good localization.

[Solana]

Ooh, it's out already! Awesome!

Long-time nostalgia with this series. I remember my cousin playing the first on NES, my bro getting the second as a get-well gift sixteen years ago, and all the joys of IV.

One important question- does it carry on the tradition of delightfully terrible puns?

[Werefrog]

Spoilers:


Yes, there are puns. I just went to a place where people were dying from a plague. The town was called "Coffinwell." There was a doctor there called "Dr. Phlegming." And the plague was sealed away in a tomb called "Quarantomb."

[DragonmasterDan]

best localizations

A question - has anyone else noticed a few irregularities in the translations of this one? It's nothing like typos, but little instances where I feel like something's off. Idioms where they use "minute" instead of "moment," things like that?

Otherwise, it's still a very good localization.

Minute and Moment are used fairly interchangeably in standard American English in the use of "Can you wait a *insert here*" or This will just take a *insert here*".

I've not noticed anything particularly appalling in the localization.

[Sonic#]

I know, but it seemed like in the situation it was off somehow. Darn, I wish I'd written it down now, if only to realize that it wasn't an issue originally. Oh well.

[Vyse of Arcadia]

best localizations

A question - has anyone else noticed a few irregularities in the translations of this one? It's nothing like typos, but little instances where I feel like something's off. Idioms where they use "minute" instead of "moment," things like that?

Otherwise, it's still a very good localization.

My understanding is that DQVIII was localized by a British company. I've gotten the feel that the Dragon Quests released since then are trying a little too hard to sound British. I don't know whether it's an American company doing it, or the same British company trying to retain the magic of VIII's localization, but the dialogue just doesn't feel as natural as VIII's.

To be honest, I kind of miss ye olde English of the original NES localizations. Or even the classic Enix feel of DQVII. The DQs were always whimsical, but it's getting to be a bit much.

Incidentally, I got the game yesterday! I happened to be in Atlanta today and canvassed the entire downtown area for other DQIXers in tag mode and got nil. I wish I lived in a country in which people actually played DQ games.