http://www.square-enix.co.jp/dragonques ... Q9PVL.html
Prepare yourselves, friends.myself wrote:After seeing this, every ounce of doubt and uncertainty that I had towards DQIX is now gone.
Dragon Quest is my favorite series ever, and Dragon Quest 8 is my favorite game ever. I was a little freaked out when I heard 9 wasn't coming to a console. Then I was even more freaked out when I learned that it had done away with the traditional battle system.
Not only am I not worried anymore, but Dragon Quest IX definitely looks like "my new favorite game on the planet" material. Level 5 took Dragon Quest to the next level with 8. They returned the series to the RPG mainstream in America and modernized it through amazing cel shaded graphics, best voice acting ever in a video game, a very detailed item creation system, and some of the biggest environments ever explorable in an RPG.
I have complete and full faith in Level 5's capabilities to make IX rock as much ass on DS as VIII did on PS2. After seeing the trailer, I'm convinced that those are probably the most amazing graphics I've ever seen on a DS. The style looks completely Dragon Quest-y, and the graphics engine is still on par with VIII on the PS2. From what I've read of the battle system, it sounds freaking sweet. I certainly don't mind losing the turn-based system I've come to love. It looks like Level 5 brought classes back to the series (the biggest complaint about VIII was that they did away with classes).
The battle system makes me think of PSO for Dreamcast/Xbox/GC. So you have your group of four party members. You set out with your party to do battle with hordes of monsters. Your forces (priests and whatnot) heal you while the hunters and rangers do their thing. The difference is that now you're in a gigantic, continuous world that's probably going to be at least 10 times as big as PSO with at least a dozen towns to explore. Level 5 was showing off the huge amount of weapons/armor available, so building up your character should prove to be just as if not more fun than VIII, because now you have a personalized alias who can change jobs.
Dragon Quest VIII was the most beautifully crafted RPG I've ever played in my life. It had a gigantic, seemless world that I could explore for days, huge dungeons, a bajillion different weapons, armors, and items that I could find/buy/make, and extremely likable characters that I felt attached to by the time I beat it. My ending playtime was around 125 hours. IX looks to be the same greatness that I've come to love from the series plus I get to enjoy this experience is 3 of my buddies. I can't tell you how excited I am.
