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Platform: PlayStation
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Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
As far as console RPGs are concerned, one would be hard pressed to name a franchise with more clout than Dragon Quest. Final Fantasy has come close, but has that series had laws passed preventing its sale on weekends? However, despite the huge popularity of Dragon Quest, the games hadn't always made their way over to North America. We managed to get the first four games on the NES, but once the series came onto the SNES they stayed in Japan. It was only a few years ago when Enix finally released Dragon Quest VII on the PlayStation that the series finally started to trickle across the Pacific again. This won't be a one time deal, though, as Dragon Quest VIII is also in localization for a North American release now, on the PS2.
One of the first things players will notice in Dragon Quest VIII is the game's pronounced 3D visuals. While the last game in the series also went this route, the overall look was quite |
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archaic. With this eighth chapter, Enix has gone with cel shading, thereby giving the game a far more polished look. Another interesting addition to the look and feel of this game when compared to its predecessors is that DQ VIII will employ the use of voice actors, a noticeable departure from the usual scores of text used to tell the stories in this series.
However, despite some major changes to the aesthetics of the series, deep down inside Dragon Quest VIII will retain many of the same gameplay features that have made the series so popular. Battles will be |
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straightforward in their execution, there will be plenty of wandering around fighting monsters, and more than enough opportunities for buying shiny new weapons and armor. Just like previous installments in the series, Dragon Quest VIII's main thrust will be exploration and puzzle solving.
At the end of the day, it's nice to see that Westerns may finally be able to get Dragon Quest games on a regular basis from now (at least from the series proper). People on this side of the Pacific had to wait a while for part eight to finish being translated into English, but that wait is almost over, with the game is slated to hit store shelves in about a week and a half.
Mr. Nash November 5, 2005 |
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