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Dragon Quest XI's hero comes to 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate' this summer
Nintendo's E3 Direct opened up with one of the bigger announcements fans were waiting for: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC. This time around, it's a crossover with Dragon Quest XI, with that game's unnamed main character joining the roster of fighters. He's the second DLC character to arrive in SSBU following Joker from Persona 5. Meanwhile, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age: Definitive Edition is coming to Switch later this year. The Hero from the #DragonQuest series will be joining Super #SmashBrosUltimate! Purchase the Fighters Pass now and prepare to take to the battlefield with your hero this summer.https://t.co/hJmYO8YgVN pic.twitter.com/1YzOEgEZmA — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 11, 2019 But that's not all! Banjo-Kazooie are also coming to SSBU. The iconic bear and bird platformer duo will be available as a DLC fighter this fall. Your favorite bear-bird duo, Banjo & Kazooie, is joining Super #SmashBrosUltimate! Grab the Fighters Pass and get ready for when Banjo-Kazooie arrive on the battlefield this fall. https://t.co/hJmYO8YgVN pic.twitter.com/tsypQJpdBC — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 11, 2019
'Dragon Quest XI' arrives on Switch this fall
Yes, it's true: Dragon Quest XI for the Switch is coming. Square Enix has announced that Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age: Definitive Edition (phew) will be available sometime in the fall. As hinted earlier, it won't be a plain port. The trailer doesn't make mention of a possible ending change, but you will get to swap between the regular 3D mode and a retro 2D mode on the fly. You'll also hear a fully orchestrated soundtrack in battle and on the field, and you can choose between English and Japanese voices. If you were waiting to play DQXI on the Switch or just want a quintessential JRPG for Nintendo's hybrid console, this is likely to scratch your itch.
'Dragon Quest XI' is coming to Switch, at least in Japan
You won't have to dig out your 3DS if you want to play Dragon Quest XI on a Nintendo console. Square Enix has announced that Dragon Quest XI S will reach the Switch sometime in 2019. The release has only been confirmed for Japan so far, although there are fewer barriers to an international launch now that the version with English voices is widely available on PS4 and Windows PCs.
You need to finish ‘Dragon Quest XI’
Most role playing games live and die by the characters and the stories they weave. The decades-old Dragon Quest series has reached its 11th iteration, and Dragon Quest XI attempts to both both celebrate the series so far, and court a new audience.
'Dragon Quest XI' is the gateway JRPG new players needed
Dragon Quest XI launched in Japan almost a year ago, but it's only here at E3 this month that a western release is finally playable. Same old story right? A long-delayed Japanese game takes an age to get through localization, and appears with stilted translations, cheap voiceovers and a sense that this new game is already old. Wrong. DQXI subverts that. Well, a little. The US release will have voiced characters (the Japanese release had no voice actors), while also adding crucial upgrades like a dash button for your character, and a streamlined interface for smoothly getting your band of quirky allies in order.
'Dragon Quest VR' brings giant virtual slimes to Japan's arcades
What do you mean you haven't ever played Dragon Quest? One of few JPRGs to have gone toe-to-toe with Final Fantasy and lived to tell the angsty tale, the series is still huge in Japan, even if the games have struggled to amass similar fanbases elsewhere. (Something that its Minecraft-esque spin-off has been trying to fix.)
‘Dragon Quest XI’ arrives on PS4 and PC in the US September 4th
The next game in the Dragon Quest franchise will arrive in North America and Europe on September 4th for PS4 and PC only, but the previously-rumored Switch version won't be coming in 2018. Dragon Quest XI came out in Japan last summer for the aforementioned consoles and the 3DS, and sadly, the game's maker Square Enix decided not to localize the game for Western owners of Nintendo's handheld, according to IGN.
'Dragon Quest XI' spawns the best and worst special edition consoles
Square Enix is on a bit of a merchandising mission in the lead up to the July release of Dragon Quest XI in Japan. For its latest trick, it's partnered with Nintendo and Sony to today announce two new Dragon Quest consoles.
'Dragon Quest Builders' comes to the West this October
It's hard to talk about Dragon Quest Builders without mentioning Minecraft. Clearly, Square Enix has taken inspiration from the block-building phenomenon developed by Mojang. But the two play quite differently -- Builders is a more structured adventure with clear objectives and villagers to help. The game launched on PS4, PS3 and PS Vita back in January, but that was only for Japan. Today, Square Enix has confirmed it'll be coming to the West too, arriving on PS4 and PS Vita (digital-only) this October.
Nintendo Direct roundup: 'Mario Maker,' 'Splatoon' and more
Today's Nintendo Direct featured a light feast of sci-fi adventures and fantasy tales, including a new Star Fox game, the return of classic Super Nintendo games (exclusive to the New 3DS handheld), a new Kirby game and the announcement of Monster Hunter Generations for Western audiences. Phew. But that wasn't everything -- we've collected the best trailers and tweets from today's Nintendo Direct below. Feast on this:
Playdate: Going to war in 'Dragon Quest Heroes'
There are lots of ways to enjoy the button-mashing guilty pleasure of a Dynasty Warriors game: the trappings of the original series in ancient China, the robot-smashing action of Gundam Reborn and even a foray into the Legend of Zelda universe. Not enough? Okay fine. Here's one more: 'Dragon Quest Heroes.' Join Sean and Tim at 6PM ET / 3PM Pacific on Twitch as a venture into a mash-up created from games neither of them have played. Check us out here on this very post, the Engadget Gaming homepage, or, if you want to join us in chat, Twitch.tv/Joystiq.
A 'Dragon Quest' game is coming to PCs through Steam
At long last, you can get a Dragon Quest game on Steam... if not quite the role-playing game you might be hoping for. Square Enix has revealed that Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below is coming to Windows as a Steam download on December 3rd. The $60 title (already available on the PS3 and PS4) is really a slash-em-up that happens to be set in the DQ universe more than anything else -- think Dynasty Warriors with slimes. Still, this is heartening news. Heroes was well-received when it hit consoles earlier this year, and its Windows launch raises hope that other follow-ups in the series (if not necessarily the much-hyped Dragon Quest XI) could one day be just a click away.
Next for Nintendo: Zelda reboots, fresh Splatoon gear and more
Nintendo announced a slew of upcoming titles and their release dates -- as well as new content for existing franchises -- during the company's Nintendo Direct livestream on Thursday. Gird your loins and prepare for Zelda reboots, fancy new Splatoon arenas, and so. many. amiibo sets.
'Dragon Quest Builders' is a shallower, more polished 'Minecraft'
It's like a very, very well-done mod. In Dragon Quest Builders, Square Enix has taken the thrill and almost tangible joy of building your own world, and coated it in a deep, glossy layer of Dragon Quest paint. If you don't know Dragon Quest, it was the sworn rival of Final Fantasy in the Japanese RPG golden age. Then Squaresoft (FF) and Enix (DQ) became the same company. Oh, and if you don't know Minecraft, where have you been, you monster?
'Dragon Quest XI' may be one of the first Nintendo NX games
It's been a long time coming, but another Dragon Quest title is on the way -- and you'll want to keep your eye on this one. Square Enix has announced Dragon Quest XI, a solo role-playing game (no DQX-style massively multiplayer experience) that will come to the PlayStation 4, 3DS... and, quite possibly, Nintendo's future NX console. Yes, the publisher is at least "considering" a version for a system that exists as little more than a codename. There's no mention of what that version will entail, although it's clear that DQXI will take advantage of platforms' strong points. The PS4 version is based on the pretty Unreal Engine 4, while the 3DS version makes good use of the dual screens to show 3D gameplay and 2D maps at the same time. As it stands, you'll have to wait a while to try any edition for yourself. Square Enix hasn't provided any release dates yet, so the odds are that you won't be battling slimes until 2016 at the earliest.
Nintendo's 3DS gets its first streaming game this September
We've seen quite a bit of game streaming on PlayStation-branded products, but it looks like Sony will gain some possibly unexpected competition. In Japan, at least. When Nintendo 3DS owners in the region play Dragon Quest X Online (DQXO) come its September 4th launch, they won't be popping a cartridge into the system. No, like the massively multiplayer online (MMO) game's mobile version, DQXO on Nintendo's handheld will use streaming tech along the lines of PlayStation Now or OnLive instead of playing from a local cart or internal storage. As Tiny Cartridge reports, you won't be able to play in 3D as a result, and you'll constantly need a WiFi connection to access the game -- considering that this is an MMO, that should be expected anyway. However, if you'd rather lay down your cash for a physical bit of DQ gear instead, well, there's always this Metal Slime smartphone.
Dragon Quest series coming to Android and iOS this winter
If a Metal Slime handset wasn't enough mobile-based Dragon Quest news for you, Square Enix has more to share. The firm recently announced that it's bringing the first eight Dragon Quest titles to Android and iOS, in sequential order, starting this winter. What's more, the company also revealed a new mobile game, Dragon Quest Monsters: Super Light, which could involve in-app purchases. All the titles are currently exclusive to Japan, with US pricing and availability yet to be confirmed. However, if Square Enix has taught us anything, it'll happen sooner or later -- and when it does, the games won't be cheap.
Dragon Quest Metal Slime smartphone revealed by DoCoMo, looks more metal than slime
Atop a pile of gold coins, in a treasure chest. This is how you present a Dragon Quest collaboration smartphone to the Japanese public.
Next Wii U system update due late December, will improve software loading times (update: PR folks say 'no')
The Wii U launch didn't go quite as smoothly as consumers would've liked, with a major update to sit through right after unboxing, and support for various video streaming services absent on day one. Well, head honcho at Nintendo Satoru Iwata has taken to YouTube and announced from his cream studio that the next system update is due late December. It's primarily being pushed out to improve the frustratingly slow software loading times on the new console -- an issue we highlighted in our review. Iwata only makes a fleeting appearance at the beginning of the video before it moves on to talking up the latest Dragon Quest iteration, but if you've got a decent knowledge of Japanese, the embed awaits you below. Update: Nintendo's PR people have been in touch and we've had one of our bilingual editors take a look at the video. Unfortunately, something was lost in translation and our source was mistaken -- the update in question is for Dragon Quest X, not the Wii U system.
Google Maps 8-bit version for NES: April Fools arrives a day early in Mountain View
Well, it appears that April Fools is in full effect -- at least if you ask Google. Today the company introduced its "latest" build of Google Maps, dubbed Google Maps 8-bit version, tailored specifically for the Nintendo Entertainment System. According to Google, this Dragon Quest spoof version of Maps will come in the form of a special NES cartridge that can connect to the internet via dial-up. This apparently allows most of the heavy lifting to get done on Google's servers, where the maps are rendered to 8-bit form "in real-time." Better yet, it even supports voice search. Naturally, there's no word on a release date, but you can currently check out the "beta" by visiting Google Maps in your browser and selecting "Start Your Quest." That said, that company warns that "your system may not meet the minimum requirements for 8-bit computations" -- something tells us it'll still be less resource-intensive than Crysis, though. We've checked it out and found some goodies, including an alien at Area 51, so let us know what you come across during your journey in the comments. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
