Wow, Aspro! Thanks for that write-up! Inspires me to finish my game of DQIV!
But I think you'll love DQ5 even though it does recycle the same environments, sprites, music, etc. The story, IMO, is the best out of the DQ games I've played. Also, I think Yuji Horii said that it was his personal favorite.
You'll love DQ5 for the story. It's pretty strong for a traditional JRPG that was made during the SNES era.
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Now Playing: Golden Sun Dark Dawn, God of War Ghost of Sparta, and DKC Returns
^Yeah, I actually went back and played the first hour of Dragon Warrior 3 (GBC). I think I'll play that one, then 5 (after I finish Sword of Hope 2). I do like how 5 started off, but going back-to-back wasn't going to work for me.
i still need to start into dq5 but i have so freaking many games to play and i haven't beaten 9 because i keep fosucing on the"perfect" team for me so i start people over and saving skills points for other classes and damn
DQV is drastically different than DQIV. There's a real and mature story here, not just the regular "save the world" fallback story. Plus it actually features quite a bit of dialogue too so that helps the story a lot too.
However, I'm thrilled to see you playing the DQ3 remake. LOVED that game. The original was fantastic, but the remake was legendary. Good bit of grinding to this game too, though not nearly as much as there was once. Plus, if you're unfamilar with the game there's a lot of exploring to do and most of the grind time will be spend just walking around looking for secrets.
DQ3 reminded me of Half-Minute Hero. The character moves around so fast! It's a bit different, like you don't save in a Church -- that was weird. The abttles are slightly different too.
Not sure if you saw my post from yesterday but I clarified that I liked 5, just was a bit fatigued and seeing the same menu's etc... just needed a little break before continuing with the other Arte Piazza DQ.
Yeah I caught it, and I don't blame you at all for stepping back from it. Still it was really interesting to see how they remade DQ3. They put a lot of concessions to Western audiences in that game. Easier to save, faster speed, easier to level up, fewer random battles. Throw in the extra character class, the Itadaki Street games, and the bonus dungeon and Enix really did create a significantly better game.
Was reading the February 2007 Game Informer last night, and foudn this little article:
Dragon Quest Heads to DS - Wii DQ also on the way.
Nintendo's little handheld just scored a major coup. Given that the DQ franchise is a by-word for the entire RPG genre in Japan, the fat that Square-Enix has just signed a deal to bring DQ9 to the DS means that the handheld, which was already insanely popular in that country, is only going to become more of a phenomenom. DQ8 appeared on the PS2, and the loss of the franchise is sure to be a blow to Sony.
The game is subtitled, "Guard of the Starry Night", and it will utilize four-player action using the DS' Wi-Fi capabilities. DQ9 is being scheduled for a 2007 release in Japan, but this isn't the only DQ on the horizon. Nintendo's Wii will get DQ Swords: Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors in the spring of 2007. No US dates for either have been set.
Here's an interesting read.
"In this analysis, game journalist Rowan Kaiser takes a deep dive into what makes grinding work as a play mechanic in Dragon Quest IX, the latest in the most popular game franchise in Japan -- which has recently picked up some steam in North America thanks to some DS releases."
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6289/the_gestalt_effect_of_dragon_quest_.php
Personally, I think the grind-hate comes from people using FAQs too much. If you are zipping from a-b-c without exploration this will mean at some point in the game you are going to be under-exp.
I like DQ5 so much I've been "pre-grinding" just tooling around exploring.
I think you hit the nail on the head there about FAQs leading to grind hate. It's a shame because over the past few installments they've really nailed the "grind as gameplay" style. It's all about having a big open world to explore and loading it with things to do and find, and I think they perfected it with DQ8. The world contained treasure boxes, named monsters to recruit on your monster team, and the occasonal secret areas (like the Puff Puff room). DQ9 also did an admirable job at it too though with the grottos and the abundance of alchemy ingrediants scattered across the world.
The older games are hit or miss with it. DQ3 hit it. DQ7 tried and completely missed it (that game missed a lot of things though). I don't remember much about 5 other than it's story, but as long as you're enjoying it, it's all good.
In the latest 8-4 podcast (which covers japanese gaming) they said that in an up-coming show they were going to have a "special guest" on relating to Dragon Quest, and that if you had any questions to send them in. They made it clear that this person would be able to answer questions relating to ANY Dragon Quest game, so hopfully it's someone big.
If you want to submit a question, you may visit 8-4.jp
8-4 is the localization company that did the translation for DQ6, Monster Hunter Tri, Nier, Eternal Sonata, Tales of Vesperia, Baiten Kaitos Origins and many more.
Dragon Quest 6. I'm just over 6 hours into it.
I'll have to research what happened here, like which development houses handled each ones. I'm guessing 4 and 5 were outsourced and this one was done in house, becuase it feels like a huge step backward.
Either that, or they did a lot of work modernizing 4 and 5 for the DS but not 6.
Kevin Gifford says 6 is his favorite DQ. I don;t know what he is talking about. He localized, maybe that has something to do with it.
I am enjoying the game, in a masochistic manner. I mean, I do like my JRPGs to be basic, but this one goes beyond retro. Issues:
- Script. It lacks the charm of prior efforts. hardly any puns or in-jokes.
- Old school NPCs. Many of them sem only to have the task of NPC's of old -- sign posts. You'll get to a village and they'll all want to talk to you about the same subject. And when they do it's blatantly obvious. It comes down to 12 people saying the same keywords over and over again "CAVE. NORTH. MIRROR."
- Tedium Triggers. For example, you can't advance until you talk to everyone in the castle. Even the FUCKING CAT that only says, "Meow". This is a relic of JRPGs that I have not seen in years. Another one, even if you do that, if you are not wearing the right clothes you can't get in. How are you supposed to figure that out? (I had to resort to a FAQ, which these days I hate doing).
So all in all... becareful what you wish for I guess. I'll beat the thing, but it won't be for fun.
aspro said:Dragon Quest 6. I'm just over 6 hours into it.
So all in all... becareful what you wish for I guess. I'll beat the thing, but it won't be for fun.
Your dedication is admirable, but I still think you're a sadist. I found DQIV to be a remarkably better game despite it being considerably older. Features were cut out of this game, the translation was given a minimum overhaul as indicated by the lack of humor and puns which has become a bit of a trademark for the series, and the only addition to it was a very weak slime mini-game. It really feels like it was a rushed effort. I now understand why there was some hesitation to see the game published.
The slime mini-game is SHIT. Sorry, no other word for it.
And it's not my imagination, the random-battle encounters are much more frequent in 6.
from what i played in dq6 i really liked it but that was only like 8ish hours and i didn't unlock the classes yet but i liked what i played i wish they didn't take out the monster taiming for just a few special slimes and a axe dragon
eggmiester said:from what i played in dq6 i really liked it but that was only like 8ish hours and i didn't unlock the classes yet but i liked what i played i wish they didn't take out the monster taiming for just a few special slimes and a axe dragon
Seriously, I was just thinking that last night (about the monster taming). I keep waiting to "catch" one. I am now 8 hours in. It's getting a little better, in terms of overall story (the going back and forth between the two worlds), but all the details that I don;t enjoy still hold.
i have no clue why enix team decited to remove monster training and less the class for them in the game, and they kepted it in dq5 maybe they were hoping it would sell better if they changed things up
Maybe it wasn't in the source material?
6 was made by Heartbeat. December 1995
5 was made by Chunsoft. September 1992
4 was made by Heartbeat. February 1990
So, not sure if that explains anything. But I guess it explains why 6 seems more antiquated than 5. Heartbeat probably just picked up where they left off with no attention paid to 5.
Aspro, you are in for a painful ride. While I'm not at the end of the game yet, I know I'm pretty close. Frankly, getting to this point has felt like a chore. I want to like VI, I really do, but I feel like I'm not investing in anything. IV and especially V I plowed through because I really enjoyed the motivations and sense of prupose that both games had. VI? Not feeling anything other than I'm doing work, which is not how a game should feel.
At the very least it is a functional game, with all the same menus and art from 4 and 5. Having played both of those so recently it is a lot easier to put up with the rest of the game and just enjoy the familiarity of everything surrounding the game.
It will be a trip to go into 7 after this one.
Over the weekend I beat DQ4. Here are some thoughts: (keep in mind this was my first numbered DQ)
- Compared to the Final Fantasy games I've played (1-5), the game seemed easier and more enjoyable.
- The game was a cake-walk up until around Level 18. Then you have to grind for about 4 hours. Then it's back to normal, then they make you grind again for another 2-3 hours for a boss. After that the last three to four hours of the game they lavish you with more loot than you know what to do with. Makes beating the 4 bosses before the final boss a lot of fun.
- If those 4 bosses where meant to be an analog of how you developed your 4 cahracters before they introduce the hero character, that's a nice touch. I wonder if it was?
- Then you get to the final boss and you have to level up another 6 levels to easily beat him. And it's one of those pain in the ass multi-phase bosses.
So all in all, an uneven experience difficulty wise. I'd say it was on par with FF1 and FF4 in terms of enjoyment, I give them extra points for mixing it up a little with the story telling.
I put in DQ5 immediately after it, and decided I needed a break before I go on another 40 hour trip, in what looks to be a very similar environment.