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Dragon Quest IV chosen as Deal of the Day

by JC Fletcher { Nov 10th 2008 at 1:06PM }

Amazon is allowing us to bypass the infamous Square Enix Tax for one day, and pick up a fantastic RPG remake at the kind of prices normally reserved for wholesale merchants like Torneko Taloon. The game, of course, is Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen, and the price is a powerfully tempting $19.98.

If you've wanted to try the beloved series, but feared the investment would be too much for an RPG that turned out to be too old-school, now is your chance. It might be worth $20 just to look at, and then kill, a bunch of adorable slimes!

Gallery: Dragon Quest IV

[Comic via Square Enix Members]

DS releases for the week of September 15th

by Alisha Karabinus { Sep 15th 2008 at 2:00PM }

This week, a pile of games are overwhelming DS shelves, but the real star is Jackass: The Game. Oh yes, Europe. It's your turn. Don't even try and say that we never gave you anything, because after this week, it's patently untrue.

Animal Paradise
Bratz Ponyz 2
Di-Gata Defenders
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition
Igor
Line Rider 2 Unbound
My Secret World by Imagine
Red Bull BC One
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Unsolved Crimes

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DS Daily: Re-Quest

by JC Fletcher { Sep 13th 2008 at 10:30AM }

Next week, Dragon Quest IV hits, bringing with it the possibility of the massive franchise finally taking off for real in the US in a way it hasn't since the original Dragon Warrior. Here, Final Fantasy is bigger, but in Japan, this is the real IV.

Have you been following Chapters of the Chosen? Are you interested in playing along with the adventures of Torneko Taloon and the rest of the cast? If so, will this be the first Dragon Quest for you? How about the first Dragon Quest IV? Did you get it back on the NES?

Gallery: Dragon Quest IV boxarts

DS releases for the week of September 8th

by Alisha Karabinus { Sep 8th 2008 at 2:00PM }

There's just one thing to say about this week's lineup of DS releases: wow. Spore Creatures and a host of games to suit any taste here in the States, and internationally, you've got Dragon Quest IV and then Pokémon Platinum in Japan. This could be one of those legendary weeks that threatens to empty (and then devour) your wallet ... and to think, we've not even entered the holiday season yet.

Hell's Kitchen
Lock's Quest
Mazes of Fate DS
Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir
The Price is Right
Spore Creatures
Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise

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Promotional Consideration: Wagon Wheels' March

by Eric Caoili { Jul 27th 2008 at 3:30PM }

It seems as if it wasn't that long ago when rumors of Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen coming stateside first appeared, querying our next command. But here we are, less than two months away from the 3D remake's September 16 release, and Square Enix already has its marketing engine for the game running. The publisher has certainly done its part to push summer along by keeping the past couple of months busy with quality releases.

This week's edition of Promotional Consideration pulls out a page from the latest issue of Nintendo Power to bring you Square Enix's new DQIV ad. Join us past the post break!

See also: A Dragon Quest IV comic strip draws near! Command?

Gallery: Dragon Quest IV

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A Dragon Quest IV comic strip draws near! Command?

by JC Fletcher { Jul 18th 2008 at 8:00PM }

Perhaps taking a cue from their RPG-localizing rivals, Atlus, whose Izuna sprite comics are a game-promoting delight, Square Enix has made the first of a series of Dragon Quest IV comic strips available on the Square Enix Members website. It follows the dapper Ragnar McRyan as he embarks on the quest to purchase some clothing!

Even if it is a cute online comic whose access is restricted to people who sign up for Square Enix Members, we're glad to see Square Enix doing something to promote this game. Dragon Quest, for whatever reason, still needs a bit of a push in the U.S.

E308: Take your turn and view this Dragon Quest IV trailer

by David Hinkle { Jul 16th 2008 at 11:30AM }

So, like, is new screens and a release date for Square Enix's Dragon Quest IV totally not worth your time? Well, we've got something better than screens. We've got a bunch of screens, that form together like Voltron to become a game trailer. It's like magic. Like casting Thundaga on a robotic enemy.

Now that we've got you in a good mood, check out the new screens below. Everything, even a screenshot from a game, deserves a second chance.

Gallery: Dragon Quest IV

E308: Dragon Quest IV screens, release date scare

by Alisha Karabinus { Jul 15th 2008 at 6:45PM }

Those looking forward to both Final Fantasy IV and Dragon Quest IV might have had a little scare earlier due to what seems to be a typo on the official release lists. DQIV, originally dated for September in the U.S., was on that list with a date of July 22 -- the same day as Final Fantasy IV. That's way too much IV for one week, but luckily, it appears to have been a typo. The official E3 press release for Dragon Quest IV still reads September 16, 2008. Whew. We're saved from hundreds of hours of battling in one week!

Gallery: Dragon Quest IV

E308: Square Enix's E3 lineup in (a few) pictures

by JC Fletcher { Jul 10th 2008 at 8:45AM }

Following the announcement of the titles on display at this year's E3, Square Enix released one screenshot of each of the new games. Above, you'll see the single, very blown-up image of Chrono Trigger DS. After the break, new screen of Final Fantasy IV, Exit DS, The Legend of Kage 2, and Dragon Quest IV.

The Final Fantasy IV and Dragon Quest IV screens definitely feature the English versions of the game, but with the other three, it's kind of hard to tell for various reasons! The Chrono Trigger image has no text, so it sort of doesn't matter if the screen has been localized or not. Exit has English text, but it's the same English text found in the Japanese game. And Kage has both Japanese and English elements in its interface. If we hadn't just been told these games were coming out over here, we wouldn't be sure if these games were coming out over here.

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Square Enix E3 lineup loaded with sequels, remakes

by Jason Dobson { Jul 9th 2008 at 12:00PM }

With 2008's edition of E3 just days away, the role-playing steam engine that is Square Enix has revealed what titles that it will spring on press types as they shuffle past. Of the eleven titles on display, the company's lineup this year is noticeably remake and sequel heavy, with over half of the games representing a return to the well for another drink. Boasting "simultaneous global releases for several platforms," the company has also re-confirmed dates for much of its lineup as well, with the following games also noted as being playable during the show:

Chrono Trigger (DS; Holiday 2008)
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (DS; September 16)
Final Fantasy IV (DS; July 22)
Infinite Undiscovery (Xbox 360; September 2)
Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes (iPod; Now Available)

In addition, the remainder listed below will be shown in non-playable form:

The Last Remnant (Xbox 360, PS3; Winter for Xbox 360, TBA for PS3)
Star Ocean: First Departure (PSP; October 21)
Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP; January 6)
Star Ocean: The Last Hope (Xbox 360; 2009)
Exit DS (DS; October 7)
The Legend of Kage 2 (DS; October 7)

And coming soon to a grocery store near you, Star Ocean: Whole Wheat Clusters.

September chosen for Australian Dragon Quest IV release

by JC Fletcher { Jun 26th 2008 at 8:45AM }

While Square Enix announced their intention to release Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen in "PAL territories" this September, they aren't the ones handling the Australian release. Ubisoft is the company's distributor in Australia and New Zealand, and thus the duties for Dragon Quest IV fall to them. Reassuringly, Ubisoft has made their intention to release the game for real official in a new press release.

Maintaining the numberless "Dragon Quest: Chapters of the Chosen" title that should keep PAL gamers from finding out there have been other Dragon Quest games, the Australian release of the game is also planned for September. A specific date has yet to be revealed. Also ominously absent from this press release is any mention at all of Dragon Quests V and VI.

Gallery: Dragon Quest IV

Another exhaustive list of Japan's best-sellers of 2007

by Chris Greenhough { Jun 17th 2008 at 10:00PM }

Remember that haaauuuuge list of Japan's 500 highest-selling games of 2007? Well, sorry, but you'll have to forget them all. Yep, every last one of 'em. That's because we now have a new list which is also claiming to feature the 500 best-selling games of 2007 in Japan. This one has been compiled by Enterbrain (the original was from rival data-gatherers Media Create), and it's ever so slightly different.

The good news is that, despite the origins of each list being different, the overriding message is still the same, and that message is: DS rules all yaaay. Both lists agree that Wii Sports was top dog, but the top DS games have been jumbled about. Now, for example, it is the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers games that are top of the DS pile, while Mario Party DS drops to second. The changes are subtle, but definitely exist. Hit the break to see the top ten DS games!

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Dragon Quest V site takes turn to update

by David Hinkle { May 30th 2008 at 12:30PM }

Eager fans anticipating the release of Dragon Quest V, get your eyeballs wrapped around some of the new content on offer at the game's official Japanese website. Within, you'll find some descriptions for the characters that will be populating the game world, as well as various other goodies. On top of that, you can also enjoy the Dragon Quest IV and Dragon Quest VI sites. So, go click crazy over there and check out the content.

Gallery: Dragon Quest V

[Via Go Nintendo]

Promotional Consideration: Dragon Quest IV commercials were weird

by Eric Caoili { May 25th 2008 at 11:30PM }

With the Dragon Quest IV DS remake announced for the US and Europe this week, we thought it'd be good a time to dig up Enix's commercials for the original Famicom game's release in Japan. They're completely different from the retro ads used last November when the DS remake shipped.

As with Squaresoft's chocobo commercials for Final Fantasy IV on the Super Famicom (launching a little over a year after Dragon Quest IV), these ads were just plain odd! They show hardly any in-game video, relying on logos and recognizable theme music instead. Gather your party and meet us in the fifth chapter, past the post break, for the commercials.

Continued →

The history of Dragon Quest IV boxart

by JC Fletcher { May 22nd 2008 at 11:00AM }

Square Enix released an image of the box for the North American release of the Dragon Quest IV remake, and it looks pretty nice! It suffers from Akira Toriyama "every character looks exactly the same" syndrome, but there's not really much that can be done about that! It's the same art as the Japanese version, with a more traditional layout, highlighting the hero.

Dragon Quest IV has been sold a bunch of times over the years, on three different systems, so it's naturally had a few different box designs. We thought it might be interesting to show you the boxarts for each iteration of the game. Well, not all of them -- we've omitted stuff like the budget rereleases of the PlayStation version, because they're exactly the same art with a different border.

Out of all the variations, we like the art on the Famicom release the best. It seems the most dynamic and exciting. We think we like the NES version's art the least, because there isn't any.