GRINDAN
BATTLAN
EXPLORAN

This is the formula that made up every Dragon Quest game for the past 20 years and it hasn't gotten old.  Maybe it's the fact that the creators put a lot of attention to detail and game balance but DQ games have always remained relatively the same and I always play them.  Always.

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen is a remake of DQIV (surprisingly it's an all new game, not based on the PS1 remake).  It features new graphics, a really really well polished translation, new animations and music.  There's very little I can say about the game other than "If you've played Dragon Quest, you know what to expect."  I never did like DQIV because it didn't have the awesome class system that later DQ's spoiled me with, but the characters in this game are among my favorite in the series with such distinctive faces as Ragnar (complete with awesome handlebar mustache) and the fat merchant Torneko.  I don't know how Squenix did it but the music is fantastic and this game's soundtrack sounds louder and clearer than any other DS game.

I can't recommend this people who hate Dragon Quest but if you're looking for a product to suck the next 120 hours out of your life then look no further.  I hate Squenix for their overpriced 39.99$ price tag for DS games but unlike Final Fantasy DS whatever and the upcoming ripoff Chrono Trigger port, this game is definitely worth the money in terms of playtime to cost ratio.

Here's a bunch of screens that you could normally view at gamefaqs but you guys are too lazy to just go there yourself.







p.s. i can't wait for DQVI which, aside from DQVII, is probably the longest dragon quest game and the best in terms of story.

Is this out now? I love a good time-suck and I've never really played DQ so I'd be tempted to pick it up.

It'll probably never get released in Australia so I'll have to import but it's no biggie.

yes it came out in america last tuesday

for those that don't know, the world map is based off all the major continents except the americas.  all of the characters speak in a stereotypical accent based on their country of origin.  the "russians" are hilarious.

Is that an enemy called Hoodoo Gooroo in the second screen?

It thought it was "Hoodoo Yoodoo" at first glance and it immediately made me think of that David Bowie song in Labyrinth.

You remind me of the babe
What babe? babe with the power
What power? power of voodoo
Who do? you do
Do what? remind me of the babe

Haha I love that movie.

I am at Torneko Taloon's chapter! The chapters are so fun!

I'd say IV is the most epic so if I had a DS I'd buy this - I dunno obviously VI looks better but V and VI almost felt at times like they were just randomly slapping towns and continents all over the place, I remember IV had this sea cave that you enter with the ship and that just felt so cool for some reason like in RPGs I just like shit like that where there's crap where it's not exactly clear how to get there and instead of just walking from continent to continent stuff is just where it is - like I remember there was some major dungeon of the game on the same continent everyone meets up on (I think the city was called Endor lol Star Wars) but it's like two feet away from where you were but you need a boat to reach it it's all like YOU WALK RIGHT BY HIM yeah so people making an RPG Maker game your world map looks a lot more legitimate if you do that imo

also VI didn't seem too long to me, just hella confusing but maybe that was a bad translation's fault - I wonder what people will clock in at now that the new DS version has a timer feature I'm assuming

Edit: Oh right I'm named after that dude - because gotta love the 'stache I guess - well also RAGNAR was the weirdest name I'd heard at that point in my life

Also yeah the translation sounds swell from what I've heard in this article - the NES games didn't really seem dark from what I remember, but it seemed so straightforward I guess, like a standard Dungeons and Dragons sort of deal which was so bizarre as a kid because it didn't explain why the slimes looked like that and all and why I could also have a goofy looking octopus jellyfish as a character

I would like to say that this game seems a lot faster than other Dragon Quests.  For those of you that know the series, there's always this slow plodding feeling (especially during battle which has unnecessary pauses) but this game moves very rapidly.  You get in a fight, you press a few buttons, enemies die, you get your spoils and the game instantly moves on; no more waiting 5 seconds rereading numbers you glance over.

Well it seems in general like they've been doing that with the Dragon Quest games, even though there's a lot of battling I can still stand each individual fight in a DW game more these days because it seems like they've made it as quick and efficient as possible while Final Fantasy games have seemed like it takes 5 seconds just for my guy to walk up to an enemy and use regular sword attack (maybe FFXII was different I dunno) The remake of DWIII in particular seemed really fast to me (I can't believe I beat the original NES version, that was back when RPGs didn't even feel like they were MEANT to be beaten)

Edit: It is cool that they actually delivered on this remake though (I still have the DWVII instruction booklet somewhere with the ad for this same remake for the PS1)

Edit: I wonder if the Dragon Quest V remake will look like that PS2 version, I really liked the look of that one, it almost had this tropical look at times which

ok here's a scan

http://files.nintendic.com/wii/famitsu/december-14/fam-dec-14dragon-quest-v.jpg

doesn't look like the PS2 version but it still looks ok - I still think the DWVII style looks godawful though

Edit: Why did DQV's hero have like a turban anyway - and apparently the main characters don't change the entire game even though it goes on for years

(maybe FFXII was different I dunno)

no final fantasy 12 is the longest and slowest of the final fantasy games and it's 90% combat maybe 10 % other.

dragon quest 5 actually takes place over 20 years allowing you to marry one of the female player characters.  i'm pretty sure it's like 1 of 2 games in the entire world that actually takes place over a progressive series of time (outside of player input like resting a lot in baldurs gate or morrowind).

Edit: Why did DQV's hero have like a turban anyway - and apparently the main characters don't change the entire game even though it goes on for years

I don't know if this counts as a spoiler or not but there is a point where the main character is cursed by a monster and turned to stone.  Several decades pass before an adventuring hero cures you of your curse and you go on with your adventure.

Also I bought this on day 1 because I love Dragon Quest games!  It is really rad for all the reasons marcus described.  The early parts of the game are a little easier, which I don't mind - it was annoying in the beginning of the original because you had to do a lot of leveling for each group in all five chapters.  I don't know why but there is something extremely compelling about DQIV.

I am not a fan of the outrrrrrrrrrageous accents though

Yeah even though Dragon Quest games have always been pretty samey there's always some gimmick, usually some kind of dual thing, like in DQV you're young and old, and in DQIII there's the old (sort of real) world and the new old world from the first game, and in VI there's the dream world and the real world (although they didn't really seem to make very good use of that whole concept or is it just me?) They should've totally allowed you to beat up villagers and crap and be like fuk u ur just a figment of my imagination

Also I remember even the original NES version of DWIV played pretty well. Like I never felt like I was grinding really, through some miracle (or maybe by that point I was more mature and wasn't just running away from every battle) Also the game had some rad graphics for a Dragon Warrior game (fire spells were RED and ice spells were BLUE the special effects are blowing my mind man)

Edit: I like how the Dragon Quest development team first thought of making the screen covered in pukey red or green when you're weak or someone's dead before thinking of flashing the screen nice colors the suggest fire and ice and lightning etc

Edit: I like how the Dragon Quest development team first thought of making the screen covered in pukey red or green when you're weak or someone's dead before thinking of flashing the screen nice colors the suggest fire and ice and lightning etc

Kinda like Earthbound, is it? Like, how someone died, the frame became a disturbing red.

Though I guess Earthbound IS kinda modeled after Dragon Quest.

I've never played a DQ game, and I've heard some bad things about certain of them, and the PS2 one certainly didn't look like it applied to me, but I might give this DS one a go, given it can run great on the emu.

It might be decent!

Kinda like Earthbound, is it? Like, how someone died, the frame became a disturbing red.

Though I guess Earthbound IS kinda modeled after Dragon Quest.

I've never played a DQ game, and I've heard some bad things about certain of them, and the PS2 one certainly didn't look like it applied to me, but I might give this DS one a go, given it can run great on the emu.

It might be decent!

The general consensus on Dragon Quest is that you either hate the entire series with every fiber of your being OR you love it like it's your own child.

There's no middle ground.  Seriously.

I will have to get this it looks like.

Dragon Quest rules.

While I'm not a major fan of DQ (I hate grinding) there's been some interesting story elements that always drive me to want to play. Turning to stone for decades is far more interesting than wandering around with a turned-to-monster king and caravan anyday (despite this being interestin in its own way).
How does it handle the dual screen? Do you wander on both screens, or is the top screen just for looks?

EDIT:
Better yet, how does it handle the stylus? I'm finding few if any games use the stylus very well.

How does it handle the dual screen? Do you wander on both screens, or is the top screen just for looks?

The top screen functions as an extra camera meaning whatever is cut off from the bottom screen can be viewed in the top.  In some cases it feels like cheating since you can rotate the camera in most dungeons but I barely look at it.

And it doesn't use the stylus at all thank god.

shouldnt it be macragnar

this has been bugging me for days

shouldnt it be macragnar

this has been bugging me for days

och, i ain't scah'ish so's i woo'nt know

Groundskeeper Willie-MacRyan

I am getting pretty close to the end of this game and I love it so much.  Dragon Quest games are the best.

Is anyone else still playing it?