The Gamer's Quarter

SuperWes

Dragon Quest IX was announced today for the Nintendo DS.

Huh? I thought it might go Wii, but did anyone expect this? Yeah, it makes sense that the series that relies less on technology and more on selling power would hit the most popular and least powerful system, but I never expected Square-Enix to actually do that. The Nintendo DS has just crowned itself the victor of the next Generation of systems. Crazy!

-Wes
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dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

chew on THAT, internet nerds!
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

IBTN!

Anyways, yeah, I ... don't have any idea what to think on this. Is that DQ:Joker coming out to the US?

I guess this is a good idea. Aside from a very small number of no name RPGs, there haven't really been any "new" RPGs for the DS, have there? Even Crystal Chronicles keeps getting pushed back.
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Lestrade · Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 9:26 am Post subject:

Cross-posted from SB:

Wow, what a coup! As soon as I read this, I realized, "this is the way gaming is going. The DS could be the next-gen console winner."

Financially for Square-Enix, this makes perfect sense. Development costs are reasonably low in comparison to the less-familiar next-gen systems, and Joker has given them a test bed. Plus, since the DS is freaking insane in Japan, a new Dragon Quest game has a guaranteed install base.

Personally, I think this idea is grand. I didn't like DQ8 past the first few hours, because I felt the game was stale and uninspiring. I just don't have the time or interest to sink 70 straight hours in anything, you know? But on the DS, a DQ game could be made a lot more taut, more focused. Plus, as it's already been said, if it does feature level-grinding, that's a lot more interesting/manageable when you're not stuck in front of your TV.

I just hope it's more portable-friendly than FF3 has been stated to be; i.e. the ability to save anywhere (I mean shit, it's not 1986), overworlds that don't take 20 minutes to traverse, etc.

So... wow. Enjoy all that money, Nintendo! Find a nice charity somewhere in Kyoto...

SuperWes · Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:34 am Post subject:

Huh? It's a four-player online Action/RPG! This just gets odder and odder!

Here's some footage.

Something tells me that this game isn't actually a numbered Dragon Quest game even though it sort of is (think Final Fantasy XI).

-Wes
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Lockeownzj00 · . Joined: 16 Aug 2005 Posts: 214

Ooh. I actually had an idea for a game like this way back for the DS that I'm positive would be fun. Essentially a cross between this and Four Swords Adventure. Spice it up with some randomly generated content (dungeons, world map, etc), alternate modes, and you've got a solid multiplayer game.

I think the main difference was that each player could start on different sides of the globe, actually racing to get to certain treasures/points. Conceivably, there could be 3-4 people per "team." There could even be a 'condensed mode' which would be like a mini-rpg meant to be beaten in about 15 minutes, again focusing on the 'race' factor.

Anyhoo. I ramble. I donno if this is the deal-breaker people at SB seem to think it is, but it is interesting.

Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

This is all sorts of crazy and I like it.

Mister Toups · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:19 am Post subject:

The more I think about this the more excited I get. Ironically I find the DS to be ideal for long-form gaming in addition to twitch stuff like wario ware. I couldn't imagine playing phoenix wright on a console, for instance. The DS in particular is nice because you can close it at any time like it was a book and open it later to resume. I'm more and more inclined to think that the future of the industry is in portables and handhelds, while console gaming (and the whole HD fetish that comes with it) becomes more and more of a niche market. I'd be fine with things going that way, to be honest. The DS is home to the majority of my fondest gaming memories of the past year and I don't see that changing anytime soon, even with the awesomeness of the wii.
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Winged Assassins (1984) · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:36 am Post subject:

Out of any Dragon Quest games this is the one most likely to get me interested in the series. Actually scratch that, I'd probably buy this regardless of whatever brand name is attached to it since it's a multiplayer action RPG on the Nintendo DS.
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player 2 · . Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 585 Location: Madison, WI USA

I don't think that the future of gaming is necessarily in portables and handhelds - but I do think that console gaming as we have known it is very rapidly becoming the past. I've had a lot of nights where I've invited non gaming friends over to play Wii, and they've all had a blast. Everyone wants one. It's exciting and grandiose. You can't have that in a handheld.

Of course, sometimes games shouldn't be exciting and grandiose. Games like Dragon Quest seem like they should be intimate and dear. So. We can have both.
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dessgeega · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 4:21 am Post subject:

it's the end of the world as we know it!

(i feel fine.)
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helicopterp · . Joined: 13 May 2006 Posts: 1435 Location: Philadelphia

Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

GSL · Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:46 am Post subject:

It's like, if you believe there's nothing up [SquareEnix's] sleeve, then nothing is cool.

FortNinety · Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:05 am Post subject:

Someone also noted over at the SB forums that with the DS, we lose the grand vistas with the big blue, blue skies. Which will suck since they were so nice in 8, but otherwise, yeah... this could be really awesome.

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

helicopterp · . Joined: 13 May 2006 Posts: 1435 Location: Philadelphia

dessgeega · Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:39 pm Post subject: