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Everything you ever wanted to know about Dragon Quest

by Candace Savino { Feb 5th 2008 at 5:00PM }

For gamers not living in Japan, Dragon Quest tends to be considered "that other" Square-Enix series. There's no question that the franchise is constantly overshadowed by Final Fanasy, at least here in the U.S. That's not to say Dragon Quest doesn't have a respectable fanbase, but compared to the support that the series gets in Japan, anything else is peanuts.

There's much to be learned about this classic franchise, though. If you're a fan and want to brush up on your Dragon Quest knowledge, be sure to check out Gamasutra's in-depth history. We have to warn you, however -- reading it will only make you hungry for some localization announcements. Hopefully, it's only a matter of time before we hear something tangible.

A road map of Itadaki Street

by JC Fletcher { Jun 26th 2007 at 2:10PM }

Having never come out in the US, the Itadaki Street franchise is somewhat of a mystery. But the series has been thrust into our attention with its entry on the DS and the included Mario and Dragon Quest characters. We know we like the characters, and we are vaguely aware of a board game of some kind, but how exactly does the game play?

Siliconera, who previously helped us identify all the Dragon Quest folks, has a piece up now about the game that's half review, half tutorial. It's an excellent resource for the Itadaki curious, and should help you in your soul-searching about whether or not you're interested in a Japanese board game about property.

Square Enix loves handhelds

by JC Fletcher { Jun 11th 2007 at 1:00PM }

Yoichi Wada, head of Square Enix, believes that handhelds are the way to go, at least until the next generation settles down somewhat. Wada told the Financial Times "There is a new breed of gamers in the market – we have to make games for all kinds of people." Which means, of course, the DS.

It should be no surprise that the company has a lot of faith in portable systems, since their flagship franchise has moved to the DS. Still, it is a little unusual for Wada to publicly speak against next-gen systems with so many important Square Enix games headed to the PS3. "There are too many specs – and you also need a high-definition TV, a broadband connection and a deep knowledge of gaming – these consoles are mismatched to today's environment. In a year or two years they will fare better."

Guide to Itadaki Street characters

by JC Fletcher { Jun 8th 2007 at 11:00AM }

Confession time! We haven't played a Dragon Quest game since the first one. And that was in the ancient times-- we were basically playing it on an oscilloscope. As such, we don't know any of the characters besides slimes (who could forget slimes?).

If you're like us (old and anachronistic), you might need a lesson on who all these adorable Dragon Quest characters are in Itadaki Street. That is exactly what Siliconera has done, because we asked for it just now. Oh, there we go with the anachronism again.

Finally, we know the names and origins of Guy Who Looks Kinda Like Dante and Spikey-Haired Guy. Now we're ready for the US version of the game, which will probably never exist.

Dragon Quest, Super Mario, Boy and Girl in Itadaki Street DS

by JC Fletcher { May 11th 2007 at 11:00AM }

Itadaki Street DS apparently didn't have enough characters to choose from-- the entire Mario and Dragon Quest casts are just too limiting, you know? Besides, nobody can relate to wacky characters like a plumber and a plumber's brother, who is also a plumber.

Square Enix has nicely included some characters who will do less to draw players' attention away from the serious business of strategic board game play: "Boy" and "Girl." They look just like we would if we were three feet tall and didn't have noses!

We've got some screens of Boy and Girl, and of Itadaki Street in general, after the break. And check the link for character art and a few board layouts.

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Japanese Dragon Quest Swords boxart

by JC Fletcher { May 7th 2007 at 11:15AM }

When anything at all happens related to a Dragon Quest game, we pay attention. Therefore, we felt that the newly-released Japanese boxart for Dragon Quest Swords was worth posting. Take an early look at something that's going to be in pretty much every Japanese home after July 12th!

The boxart looks pretty nice, actually. We appreciate it when publishers put actual hand-drawn art on the cover instead of action poses of the main character's 3D model. Especially when it's Akira Toriyama art, which we continue to like despite Dragon Ball Z.

New scan shows some of Dragon Quest Swords' swords

by JC Fletcher { Apr 26th 2007 at 5:00PM }

Some gameplay details about Dragon Quest Swords have trickled out in the form of this Jump magazine scan and the accompanying NeoGAF thread. It seems that you'll be able to upgrade your sword during your adventure, which in itself is not a surprise, given the title of the game (it's not Dragon Quest Sword, after all).

The swords themselves are cool enough to be noteworthy, as is the method of upgrading. You collect elements on your journey (the fire/ice sense of "elements" more than the molybdenum sense) and take those to a blacksmith to have swords forged. Those swords, then, naturally, have elemental attacks. Also, you gain the ability to have a freaking cool-looking sword. We've posted the scan after the break.

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Dragon Quest IX screenshots fly into view

by Eric Caoili { Apr 25th 2007 at 6:45PM }

Supplementing this afternoon's Dragon Quest IX gameplay details post, we have some new screenshots of the much-anticipated RPG. Square Enix hasn't skimped on this production at all, as it already looks to be one of the most visually impressive games on the Nintendo DS.

Graphics aside, the scanned Shonen Jump pages also give a glimpse of this title's character customization options and turn-based multiplayer combat. Head past the post break for a couple of the Dragon Quest IX scans.

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A few more Itadaki Street screens

by JC Fletcher { Apr 6th 2007 at 5:32PM }

Any time mascot characters from different game companies converge, it's a big deal. As mascot-converging deals go, it doesn't get much bigger than Itadaki Street DS, which forcefully jams the worlds of Dragon Quest and Mario together onto a game board. There's also the fact that another long-time Square Enix franchise heading to the DS is likely to cause a sales supernova. We enjoy keeping tabs on this game in anticipation of that upcoming cosmic event.

While you wait for that June 21st release date, and ponder learning how to read "slime" in Japanese (????), why not take a look at some new screenshots?

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New screens from Dragon Quest Swords

by Alisha Karabinus { Mar 7th 2007 at 4:26PM }

While what we really want are closer impressions of the intriguing character designs, we'll take whatever screenshots we can get from Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors, because we eat RPGs like sweet, sweet candy. Behind the jump, we have loads of screens for you -- check 'em out!

As an aside ... wtf, isn't that bridge in Lufaise Meadows? It looks like a place we may have lain, all corpsified and angry.

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Screenshot explosion: Dragon Quest Swords

by David Hinkle { Dec 14th 2006 at 9:30AM }

A whole slew of new screens for Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors have surfaced over at French gaming site Jeux-France. The images, which showcase in-battle scenes and cutscene dialogue, present a new light on the game, showing us some more of enemies we'll no doubt encounter, as well as presenting the overall experience in a much more favorable light.

Of course, now that we've received some new images, it'll be that much longer before we get any more, so be sure to give these a thorough look.

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker scan

by Nikki Inderlied { Aug 17th 2006 at 5:00PM }

The Pokemon of Dragon Quests, Dragon Quest Monsters, has been a hit in Japan and the newest installment, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker is headed to fans hopefully this Fall season.

A spin-off to the Dragon Quest RPG series, it features art by the infamous Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball). All of the Dragon Quest games have featured his same character design and honestly, its getting a little old. True the same can be said about Final Fantasy designer Yoshitaka Amano, but it depends on your taste.

With Wi-Fi availability and new ways to become a Monster Master, maybe fans here would get a rise out of this. It's worth a shot, right Square?

[Via QJ Net]