Dragon Quest IX is coming out on Nintendo DS

[Shark Sandwich]

Stylus can be used to equip your character. It will feel more natural to dress your character like most PC RPG.

I bet you're right that this is how the stylus will be used, but I don't think it adds anything to the experience. Contact is another DS RPG that uses the stylus to select items/equipment from menus. I tried it for a few minutes then went right back to controlling the cursor with the d-pad. It actually requires less effort to use the d-pad, and any gamer is used to moving a cursor around, so it's not like using the stylus is more "intuitive".

I just hope DQ IX uses the stylus in ways that actually enhance the gameplay, rather than throwing in stylus controls just to have them.

But before all that, this game is an action RPG. This bit worry me. Neither Square Enix or Level 5 has a good track record when it comes to action RPG. They should have farmed it out to Nintendo IMO. Nintendo has better developers for making action RPG.

What about Dark Cloud 2? DC2's randomized dungeons sucked, but the rest of the game was damn good. That game had so many new gameplay mechanics to explore. E.G. Building and upgrading the robot, synthing/combining weapons to create new ones, using photographs to create inventions, town building, multiple weapon types for each character that all behaved uniquely and were fun to use, etc.

Imagine a game with DC2's gameplay, set in a DQ universe, no random dungeons, and 4-player multiplayer. How amazing would that be? Actually, keeping that idea in mind, this might be the best DQ game yet.

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

It actually requires less effort to use the d-pad, and any gamer is used to moving a cursor around, so it's not like using the stylus is more "intuitive".

I actually preffer the stylus in contact. You only have to point and you character will move towards it, i didnt really liked the D-pad controlls.

 

[Droid]

Which was 5 years ago. It's 2006 now. When you played DQ8, graphics most certainly weren't the selling point of the PS2.

Well, as I said at it's launch, it was. Now it's it games library.

Which is the reason DS is popular. It's just got some fantastic games.

True. That and it was cheaper, along with GBA compatibility which doesn't hurt. It is a bit more usable too, the battery life is slightly better and it does feel more durable.

The use of a mouse is completely unnecessary, but the way the interface is designed, it's the fastest way to get around your PC.


Adventure games since the Zork days have a perfectly effective way of moving around and interacting with the world, what's wrong with using the existing, perfectly working command-line system?

The advantage of the mouse and a GUI is you don't have to remember weird arse commands. And there are some thing which are easier and faster to do on the command line.

I have nothing against the touch screen when it's used correctly, though so far most games I play don't need it. In fact it's the only new feature out of 3, that I think is actually worth anything.

You do realise the DS is a handheld, in other words I have to hold the thing preferably with 2 hands unlike a PC. And having to take out and put back the stylus is a PITA, I would rather keep my hands on the face buttons and do everything from there which the old system from RPGs would have allowed and painfully slow to do using the new interface (would have been better if the Big N had given the option of 2 to choose from, of course that would have made things more complicated). The use of the touch screen would have been a welcome addition IF it provide any advantage over the former system.

PS: darn I forgot my ISP and maintenance today.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I thought I read not long ago that the creator of DQ8 is pushing for an interactive Anime cartoon experience. DQ8 came close, and DQ9, if on next-gen, ought to attain that. If so, a DS game makes no sense in that regard. Did some upper management put the kibosh on the idea? Or was that never the case?

As I've never followed a series like FF or DQ, I'm not fussed. As long as it's a good game, what does it really matter? It's not like the story is progressing and you have to buy a new machine every time you play the next episode. This DS game seems to be taking a step away from the traditional DQ gameplay, which means those who liked DQ's gameplay may not like DQ9. Isn't it then just more DQ in name only? eg. If DQ9 was on XB360 and a 3D action platformer, would all the DQ fans buy it still? If the game is changing, it can change to a more suitable platform, in terms of intended cost, features, viability of market and market demographics.

I think the problem here is that DQ fans are wanting a next-gen DQ8 experience, and that's not happening now. At least in name. Could well be a next-gen DQ experience happens in gameplay, just under a different name with different creatures.

 

[V3]

I bet you're right that this is how the stylus will be used, but I don't think it adds anything to the experience. Contact is another DS RPG that uses the stylus to select items/equipment from menus. I tried it for a few minutes then went right back to controlling the cursor with the d-pad. It actually requires less effort to use the d-pad, and any gamer is used to moving a cursor around, so it's not like using the stylus is more "intuitive".

I just hope DQ IX uses the stylus in ways that actually enhance the gameplay, rather than throwing in stylus controls just to have them.

Well another way, is to use d-pad as movement and you draw with the the stylus for actions, eg horizontal line for slash, vertical line for jab, some symbols for magic and skills etc. It surely beats accessing menu all the time. But drawing on that 3" space with that stylus made for a baby's hand, is going to lead to hand cramp before you slay your first slime.

What about Dark Cloud 2? DC2's randomized dungeons sucked, but the rest of the game was damn good. That game had so many new gameplay mechanics to explore. E.G. Building and upgrading the robot, synthing/combining weapons to create new ones, using photographs to create inventions, town building, multiple weapon types for each character that all behaved uniquely and were fun to use, etc.

Imagine a game with DC2's gameplay, set in a DQ universe, no random dungeons, and 4-player multiplayer. How amazing would that be? Actually, keeping that idea in mind, this might be the best DQ game yet.

Well Dark Cloud 2 is their best effort, but I still didn't like the action for the combat in that game. Just never like action RPG that much. But the best way to save action RPG for me is if dev remove character stats and make action game with equipments and character growth not base on stats but new found abilities, instead. That way they can design the game around action/player skill instead of stats of your avatar. Stats in action RPG just make the game tedious IMO. If they remove stats, than there may be a chance for me to like it.

 

[matrix960]

Can we blame SQENIX for wanting low developpement cost, big sales and new gameplay options with DS? And why not for PSP? PSP is not a real portable system, it has a media awful for handled games (mechanical optical drive so a beast to waste energy), too much graphics (so low developpement cost with low price at sell is a good bye) and look at the latest chart in Japan : 300 000 DS and less than 30 000 for PSP...

 

[Corwin_B]

Can we blame SQENIX for wanting low developpement cost, big sales and new gameplay options with DS? And why not for PSP? PSP is not a real portable system, it has a media awful for handled games (mechanical optical drive so a beast to waste energy), too much graphics (so low developpement cost with low price at sell is a good bye) and look at the latest chart in Japan : 300 000 DS and less than 30 000 for PSP...

I don't think people are bitching that it's on the DS instead of being on the PSP, though (or if they are, they clearly are delusional). People are bitching that it's on the DS instead of being on a new console (PS3 or Wii) or even on the PS2.

 

[Readykilowatt]

I don't think people are bitching that it's on the DS instead of being on the PSP, though (or if they are, they clearly are delusional). People are bitching that it's on the DS instead of being on a new console (PS3 or Wii) or even on the PS2.

The DS is outselling the PS3, Wii, PS2 and the Xbox 360. "SQENIX" is just being smart.

 

[Reznor007]

For those that say DS carts will limit gameplay time, I'd like to point out that FF6(FF3 in the US) was a whopping 3MB, and had a TON of stuff in there.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

The DS is outselling the PS3, Wii, PS2 and the Xbox 360. "SQENIX" is just being smart.

Smart in terms of targetting the biggest market? You think it's smart to sell to 30 million DS users over 120 million PS2 owners who already have bought lots of DQ and have the installed fanbase, or 80 million GBA owners?

My guess is the choice is both economic in terms of cost of development, and implementation, in wanting to create a game that benefits from DS's features. If it's just 'DQ8+1' then they may as well either sell to PS2 again, or go with the original intention of creating a cartoon look, using next-gen power to render DQ8 still visuals in awesome fidelity.

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

For those that say DS carts will limit gameplay time, I'd like to point out that FF6(FF3 in the US) was a whopping 3MB, and had a TON of stuff in there.

FF3 for DS is 64mb.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

FF3 for DS is 64mb.

Megabit or megabyte?

 

[matrix960]

Megabit or megabyte?

megabyte, and I tought that it was 128... But with the content in the game, and the upgrade in compression, DQ 9 will be good and with us in each travel.

 

[Lazy8s]

The DS userbase is by far the most active for game sales. That's what a game publisher would care about.

 

[Reznor007]

FF3 for DS is 64mb.

I was talking about FF3(US)/6(Japan) as in the SNES one. The best in the series IMO.

 

[Apoc]

FF3 for DS is 64mb.

128MB.

 

[fearsomepirate]

Smart in terms of targetting the biggest market? You think it's smart to sell to 30 million DS users over 120 million PS2 owners who already have bought lots of DQ

a) There aren't 120 million PS2 users.
b) However many PS2 users there have actually been over the 5 years of its reign, they are not all still active today.
c) DQ is most popular in Japan. However many active PS2 users there currently are, there are fewer than that in Japan.
d) While the occasional PS2 title does well, DS software has been dominating the Japan charts. And given the release of the next-gen consoles and the amount of time it will take to make DQ9, there is no guarantee that PS2 titles will still be selling well ~2 years from now, and it may very well be that there will not be enough PS3s in Japan to move as many units of the game as would happen on DS.
e) DQ VIII was outsold by Animal Crossing DS, Brain Training 2, and New Super Mario Bros in Japan.