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Items of Import: Look Ahead! Dragon Quest V

by Sachi Coxon { Sep 18th 2008 at 8:00PM }

How is Dragon Quest IV holding up for you, dear readers? Did you run out and buy yourselves a copy, and power through the game? Does the whole feel of the title scream "Classic!" or does it reek of archaic sensibilities? Perhaps you were part of the faithful minority in the great debate of RPG fandom, at the beginning of the week. Personally, as a little kid growing up in the halcyon days of the Famicom (and later, Super Famicom) era, the opening track of the Dragon Quest series is more memorable and more emotionally stirring than the Japanese national anthem.

So... You may be knee deep in Dragon Quest IV goodness right now, and enjoying its tale of many heroes and heroines. Once you come to that inevitable conclusion, what have you got to look ahead to? Why, Dragon Quest V, of course. Today in Items of Import, we'll take the opportunity of the recent release of the fourth in the series in the Western markets to see what's to look forward to in the second entry of the Zenithia trilogy.

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Dragon Quest IV DS remake coming September 16

by Jason Dobson { May 21st 2008 at 8:30AM }

A slime approaches, and by slime we of course mean the DS remake of 1990 Famicom classic Dragon Quest IV. A NeoGAF poster has found that Square Enix has quietly launched the official teaser site for Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen, listing the still unannounced localization for release stateside on September 16.

Even more interesting, the site also shows off logos for upcoming remakes Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride and Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie as well, though sans release dates, all but assuring that North American role-playing enthusiasts will be neck-deep in metal slimes for the foreseeable future.

Wii Fanswag: And the Dragon Quest Swords winner is ...

by David Hinkle { Mar 17th 2008 at 10:00PM }

Well, folks, our latest giveaway has come to an end and it's time we hooked someone up with our review copy of Dragon Quest Swords. Many have entered, but only one can be crowned victorious. Let's all congratulate:

Justin, who, sadly, "got the Dragon Warrior cart free with a subscription to Nintendo Power. It, sadly, is the only DW/DQ game that I've played."

Well, Justin, that's about to change! Consider yourself a winner! So, congratulations and better luck next time to the rest of you. We've already got our next giveaway up and running, in case you're looking to try your luck again.

Gallery: Dragon Quest Swords

Wii Fanboy Review: Dragon Quest Swords

by David Hinkle { Feb 27th 2008 at 1:30PM }

In a lot of ways, Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors is a lot like the Wii itself. It appeals to a new kind of gamer by making sacrifices for the greater good, and introduces them to a genre they might not have known of or cared enough about in the past. However, in making these sacrifices, Dragon Quest Swords ultimately fails as a RPG.

But that's not the end of the world, necessarily, because this is a title to ease gamers into the genre, ignoring the best features and aspects of modern RPG titles and replacing them with simple gameplay and an overall easily accessible package. But longtime fans of the Dragon Quest (previously Dragon Warrior) franchise will find that this game is a lackluster spin-off.

Most folks will tell you that a RPG ultimately needs two things: a good story and an engaging battle system. This game, sadly, falls flat on both accounts.

Gallery: Dragon Quest Swords

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WRUP: The Wiimote and our masked selves edition

by David Hinkle { Feb 22nd 2008 at 3:00PM }

This week's big release is likely to be Pimp My Ride for the lot of you, but for us here at the Wii Fanboy offices a little known title from Square Enix called Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors is going to be the primary focus of our downtime this weekend. Mainly because we have to review it (keep an eye out for that!), but also because we like to pretend we're sword fighting with our Wiimote.

In fact, we even have our own crudely-made mask here to wear while doing so. If you want an idea of how it look, picture someone tearing holes into an old, dirty washcloth with a butter knife and you pretty much got our mask.

Will you be playing this, as well? Are you instead trying to pimp virtual rides? How will you get your game on this weekend?

Gallery: Dragon Quest Swords

We almost forgot what Dragon Quest Swords looked like [update]

by David Hinkle { Jan 24th 2008 at 1:30PM }

Seriously, we're looking forward to the title and all, but it's been so long. The game released in Japan months ago, yet the rest of us are left sitting and waiting for Square Enix's Dragon Quest spin-off. Now, with just about a month until it releases here in the states, it would appear the first ad for the game has found its way onto the internet. Sadly, we're not sure if this is the first of many or the entirety of Square Enix's television marketing campaign.

Update: Reader strongbad80 writes in to inform us that this is a video to be played inside game stores such as Gamestop and not a television ad.

Europe gets a date for Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker

by Chris Greenhough { Jan 10th 2008 at 11:15AM }

A 2008 release date for Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker was always on the cards for Europe, and Square Enix has now settled on March 14th. Yes, that's a whole 146 days after the ~~Pokémon pretender~~ monster-hunting RPG first arrived in North America, and well over a year since it cropped up in Japan, but heck, are we really all that surprised? We probably don't need to mention that the region won't be seeing any consolatory preorder bonuses.

Fellow Europeans are welcome to quash their sense of injustice by perusing our gallery below for some pretty images of the game in action. Pretty images solve everything.

Gallery: Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker

[Via press release]

Dragon Quest Swords unsheathed Feb. 26

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Dec 10th 2007 at 5:50PM }

And be sure to have your brain thank us for the last-minute headline edit which saw the removal "unshwiithed." It's best we use a concise sentence to inform you that Dragon Quest Swords is, in fact, a Wii game due for release in North America on February 26th, 2008. Oh, and there's a subtitle too: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors. Where most games would settle for just a masked queen or a tower of mirrors, Square Enix goes the extra mile and gives you both for the price of one game. Watch out, Orange Box!

As for the game itself, the press release dutifully reminds us that it's essentially a foray into first-person fencing, placing "a mighty blade, protective shield and special attacks all in the palm of your hand." We're not sure how much of a chance you stand with such teeny tiny weaponry, but hardened Dragon Quest fans should do alright.

Ubisoft to bring Square Enix games down under [update]

by David Hinkle { Nov 26th 2007 at 3:40PM }

Ubisoft loves Australia, it seems, as they've worked out a deal with RPG powerhouse Square Enix to bring some of their games to the region. Ubisoft will be bringing two titles to the country in Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates. Gamers down under can look forward to getting these titles in early 2008.

Any Aussies here glad they won't have to import these games?

Update: According to JeuxFrance, Ubisoft is going to be bringing the games to not only Australia, but also to Europe. So, good news is now made even better.

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker for Europe early next year

by JC Fletcher { Oct 12th 2007 at 4:20PM }

Square Enix's Dragon Quest spinoff (and one of about five hundred DS Dragon Quest games) Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker came out in Japan way back in December. It was well-received there, getting the highest compliment a game can get: lots of people's money. We're still waiting for it over here, but our wait, at least, is almost over. Now, for a little while, we can be waiting buddies with PAL gamers, since the game has been announced for a European release.

According to the press release, "all PAL territories" can expect a release of Joker in early 2008. No idea if it'll bring along it's dazzlingly multipurpose preorder gift!

TGS07: New trailer for Dragon Quest IV

by David Hinkle { Sep 24th 2007 at 11:30AM }

Having just received a release date and price for Japan, we knew the game would be on-hand in Tokyo, but nothing in the way of video managed to climb out from under the already suffocating amount of news. That is, until now. And, while the above video is mainly just some pan shots of concept art with small portions of gameplay tossed in for good measure, it's still enough to get you pumped for the game.

[Via NeoGAF]

Dragon Quest IV and others playable at TGS

by Eric Caoili { Sep 3rd 2007 at 5:45PM }

It's nice to see that even though Nintendo won't have a booth at the Tokyo Game Show this year, our favorite handheld will still be properly represented at the convention by companies like Square Enix (Sanuk Software, too!).

Square Enix has announced its sequels, remakes, spin-offs, and casual titles the company plans to present at the event, most notable on the list -- at least for us -- being a playable Dragon Quest IV. Dragon Quest IX, recently pushed back for a 2008 release, will only show up in video form. Check past the post break for Square Enix's full list of DS RPGs and Style Games for TGS.

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Today in Joystiq: August 30, 2007

by Ross Miller { Aug 30th 2007 at 11:59PM }

Make no mistake, Pete, they're just waiting for you to fall asleep before they steal all your hit points. Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
Joystiq and PSPFB hands on with PSP-2000: Part 1
Red Ring of Death visits Orland for lunch
Rock Band: The next great franchise (an interview with Harmonix)
Today's squintiest video: NiGHTS phonecam clip

News
GameTap Thursday: A Thief in the deadly shadows
PS3 60GB are officially all out in the wild
Family Guy coming to 360 Video Marketplace Sept. 2
Watch video of two new stunts from Jackass game
UK has 1 million Wiis to play with
Small Arms getting even smaller on phones
Mass Effect goes into effect Nov. 20
Manhunt 2 heading to Holland
Cyberball, Fatal Fury on XBLA next week, limited price drops this weekend
Worms going to space on Wii
TimeShift alters past, demo phases into Xbox marketplace
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars shines gold

Culture & Community
E for All does damage control regarding EA, Sony and Microsoft
Virginia finds no link between violent games and V-Tech murderer

Dragon Quest IX delayed until 2008

by Ross Miller { Aug 27th 2007 at 1:55PM }

Dragon Quest IX, the textbook definition of "surefire sales phenomenon" (we hear sociologists are still studying its effects on modern civilizations), has been pushed back from its 2007 Japanese release until sometime next year, according to IGN.

Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada had previously said that Dragon Quest IX would be released after some remakes, later revealed to be DQIV, V and VI. Given that, and the general lack of information of the title thus far, we're not too surprised by the delay. DQIX was not going to make a 2007 release outside of Japan anyways, but we're still hoping to see it come to North America and PAL regions before 2009.

[Via DS Fanboy]

DQIX gets pushed back to 2008

by David Hinkle { Aug 27th 2007 at 10:40AM }

Those of you who've been eagerly awaiting Square Enix's latest title on the DS will have to wait extra long, as the company has announced that Dragon Quest IX has been delayed until 2008. The reason for delaying the game? Square Enix apparently needs to improve the quality of the game, but we're going on machine translation, so it isn't the best.

Who will be joining us for a cry session in the corner?