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Dragon Quest IX to destroy Japanese wallets March 28
Square Enix held a Dragon Quest-related press conference today, the news of which was completely dominated by some offhand remarks by Yuji Horii about something or other. But the other big news, for which there was an official, planned announcement, was the release date for Dragon Quest IX: Protectors of the Starry Sky. Japanese gamers can expect to stand in line on March 28, and hand over a staggering 5,980 yen ($65) to get their copies. Dragon Quest IX demos were set up at the unit, using DSi systems outfitted with totally sweet Slime-themed Hori Protect Cases. The Slime speaker stands, after the break, are equally wonderful! When can we get some announcements about those? %Gallery-15248%
JC Fletcher12.10.2008
Dragon Quest X coming to Wii
Even before the release of Dragon Quest IX, Square Enix is already talking about its inevitable future. Yuji Horii, the series creator, revealed at a recent press conference that the upcoming Dragon Quest X will appear on Wii. This will be the first official entry of the ultra-popular RPG series (at least in Japan) on a current-generation console. (Dragon Quest VIII for PS2, pictured.) Other than that remark, no other details were revealed.Square Enix also revealed the Japanese release date for the upcoming Dragon Quest IX. The Nintendo DS RPG will be in stores on March 28th for 5980 yen. That means the hardcore Japanese fans out there will only have to wait in line for 108 more days. Good luck guys.
Andrew Yoon12.10.2008
Megaton: Dragon Quest X in development for Wii
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Megaton_Dragon_Quest_X_in_development_for_Wii'; Explosively hot news out of a Square Enix Dragon Quest press event: Dragon Quest X has been announced for Wii. There is officially not enough material in the world to make all of the Wiis that are about to be in demand. The announcement is super early, but from what we can tell, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii "accidentally" said "We're developing Dragon Quest X on the Wii." Satoru Iwata then went on stage and said "Thank you very much for developing Dragon Quest X on the Wii!" Horii protested and said something to the effect of "Let's introduce Dragon Quest IX first!" Thanks for making the internet explode with your banter, guys! Reuters has confirmed the announcement as well, and they're, like, respectable. (And their writer was probably there.)[Via NeoGAF]
JC Fletcher12.10.2008
Rumor: Dragon Quest IX spreading to Wii
Square Enix's announcement that Dragon Quest IX would be exclusive to the DS effectively signaled the end of this generation's console wars in Japan. Now, according to an EGM rumor, the DS will have to share the title with the Wii. "Quartermann," EGM's pseudonym for various rumermongering staffers, says that Protectors of the Starry Sky will be ported to the Wii, probably in the same manner as the dual DS/Wii Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. If true, this is actually a pretty decent arrangement: people desiring the more traditional Dragon Quest experience would be able to play at home on the TV, DS players can enjoy it on the go, and both can engage in the new multiplayer mode. If it isn't true ... we can just play it on the DS. It's the best kind of rumor: the kind that isn't really that disappointing if it turns out to be bunk.
JC Fletcher12.03.2008
Character customization and more in Dragon Quest IX
I've you've been passing the days wondering just what your main man (or chick) in Dragon Quest IX will look like, well, uh, keep wondering. Unless you already have an image fixed in your mind, we can't help you. But we can point you to Famitsu, where they have a pretty extensive look at the character customization in the latest from the long-running franchise. Bald? No problem. Pigtails? Done. Crazy, coked-up eyeballs? Hey, it's your game. We're just pointing you to the screenshots. You've gotta wonder if you're stuck with some of these crazier expressions throughout the game. Angry smirking face is less funny in a sad moment. Or is it funnier? That's up to you, too.
Alisha Karabinus12.01.2008
Dragon Quest IX screens come to town
Square Enix has released new screens of Dragon Quest IX for the first time in what seems like forever. And it looks really great, of course, like a handheld continuation of what Level-5 did with Dragon Quest VIII. The day-night cycle from previous Dragon Quests returns, as does the more accurately-scaled world map from the last game. You can see the monsters roaming around and avoid them rather than getting stuck in random battles. This is, of course, great for getting yourself back to an inn, and terrible for forcing yourself to level-grind. But it's the town environments that really impress us. The town screenshots, both external and inside shops, have a very warm, inviting look about them. We can only hope this game actually comes out in March so we can get an English version sooner! %Gallery-15248%
JC Fletcher11.20.2008
Square Enix dates full Q1 '09 lineup
We're barely surviving 2008's consumerism climax and already publishers are dangling their 2009 wares in front of us. Alright, Square Enix, we'll play your despicable game, if only to take our minds off the current gaming glut. Square Enix's North American (and heavily subtitled) lineup for Q1 2009 is as follows: Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP / 6 Jan.): Being the remastered portable version of the interstellar -- and considered by some to be just plain stellar -- sequel. Features new voice work, new cutscenes and people crying in space. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (DS / 17 Feb.): Being the hitherto unlocalized entry in the venerable RPG series. Yes, Dragon Ball Z guy designed these characters too. Star Ocean: The Last Hope (Xbox 360 / 3 Mar.): Being tri-Ace's long-awaited continuation of the science-fiction franchise. The subtitle implies that this is a big deal for the Xbox 360 in Japan. Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (DS / 17 Mar.): Being the third instalment in the respected Valkyrie Profile series. If you're looking for an explanation of the title, we're afraid you're plume out of luck.
Ludwig Kietzmann11.11.2008
First look at Dragon Quest IX's Wi-Fi mode
Game Watch has a dozen new Dragon Quest IX screens, all of which are now ensconced in our gallery. Besides revealing the obvious (the obvious being: Dragon Quest IX is totally beautiful), they include the first glimpse of the Wi-Fi cooperative multiplayer in action (right). It seems to work logically enough: players take turns to issue commands, with each human participant's choices marked out with color-coded symbols, so you can tell what your allies intend to do, and curse loudly when your mage friend neglects to save you with an antidotal herb and decides to attack instead. Another nice touch is the way your on-screen character's appearance changes as you load him up with equipment and accessories. Just imagining you're wearing all that alchemical bling is soooo 2004. %Gallery-15248%
Chris Greenhough10.31.2008
DQIX dated for March release in Japan
We're narrowing in on the release date for Square Enix's upcoming DS RPG, Dragon Quest IX. The company announced today that Japanese gamers can expect to get their hands on the game in March of next year. As for an exact date, they weren't willing to divulge that information at this time. So who's dying to get their hands on this? %Gallery-15248%
David Hinkle10.01.2008
Dragon Quest IX coming March 2009 in Japan
After almost two years of waiting, Square Enix has dated Dragon Quest IX. Sort of. Staying true to its previous promise of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009, the company plans to launch the game in Japan sometime next March (Protip: If you don't know Japanese, just keep an eye out for 2009?). No international release has been set, but we're willing to bet the game will see a US release before the impending 2012 apocalypse. Square Enix is hosting a 90-minute Dragon Quest session each day at this month's Tokyo Game Show. [Via Siliconera]
Ross Miller10.01.2008
Items of Import: Look Ahead! Dragon Quest V
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.
sachi coxon09.18.2008
DS releases for the week of September 15th
This week, a pile of games are overwhelming DS shelves, but the real star is Jackass: The Game. Oh yes, Europe. It's your turn. Don't even try and say that we never gave you anything, because after this week, it's patently untrue. Animal Paradise Bratz Ponyz 2 Di-Gata Defenders Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition Igor Line Rider 2 Unbound My Secret World by Imagine Red Bull BC One Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Unsolved Crimes
Alisha Karabinus09.15.2008
DS Daily: Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest?
After talking yesterday about Dragon Quest and the coming (again) of part IV, we thought it might be interesting to backpeddle to a more basic, visceral question: do you prefer Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest? It's Square versus Enix in an RPG franchise fight to the death!
Alisha Karabinus09.14.2008
DS Daily: Re-Quest
Next week, Dragon Quest IV hits, bringing with it the possibility of the massive franchise finally taking off for real in the US in a way it hasn't since the original Dragon Warrior. Here, Final Fantasy is bigger, but in Japan, this is the real IV.Have you been following Chapters of the Chosen? Are you interested in playing along with the adventures of Torneko Taloon and the rest of the cast? If so, will this be the first Dragon Quest for you? How about the first Dragon Quest IV? Did you get it back on the NES? %Gallery-23461%
JC Fletcher09.13.2008
Dragon Quest IX plans shrouded in mystery
It's one of the DS-related mysteries that keeps us up at night: what is the dealio with Dragon Quest IX? Square Enix claimed the game was "almost finished" back on February 1st, developer Level 5 has long been targeting a 2008 release, and the game's official page still has the title down for a launch this year. Despite this, Spencer at Siliconera points out that there has been no recent press coverage of the game, never mind a concrete release date from Square Enix, who plan to make an unholy amount of wonga from the game. Maybe we'll find out more at the Tokyo Game Show next month, though just to confuse matters further, the game won't be playable there. It's all very bizarre. Source: Dragon Quest IX might make 2008 ... Source: ... but it won't be playable at TGS.
Chris Greenhough09.08.2008
Dragon Quest V hits a million in Japan
The start made by Dragon Quest V: Hand of a Heavenly Bride in Japan is hardly going to deter Square Enix from releasing more remakes (which we're completely fine with, by the way). Famitsu is reporting that the title has already burst through the million units sold mark, a meager thirteen days after it first appeared on Japanese store shelves. You won't be surprised to hear that it's currently creaming everything else in the charts over there. If a remake of a sixteen-year-old Dragon Quest SNES game can hit seven figures inside its opening fortnight, then perhaps Dragon Quest IX really can reach Yoichi Wada's lofty expectations ... and then some. %Gallery-12146%
Chris Greenhough07.30.2008
Promotional Consideration: Wagon Wheels' March
It seems as if it wasn't that long ago when rumors of Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen coming stateside first appeared, querying our next command. But here we are, less than two months away from the 3D remake's September 16 release, and Square Enix already has its marketing engine for the game running. The publisher has certainly done its part to push summer along by keeping the past couple of months busy with quality releases.This week's edition of Promotional Consideration pulls out a page from the latest issue of Nintendo Power to bring you Square Enix's new DQIV ad. Join us past the post break!See also: A Dragon Quest IV comic strip draws near! Command?%Gallery-23400%
Eric Caoili07.27.2008
Dragon Quest Swords gets a slimey sale
Most reviewers rank Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors as mediocre, but $17 sounds like a fair price for the game. If you happen to agree (and can buy games from Amazon.com), you should probably hit up Amazon's "Deal of the Day." The battle system might take you to "Waggle City" and the story might fall a little flat, but cheap prices tend to make up for these things. Then again, the price of Dragon Quest Swords has been dropping steadily at Amazon for a while now, and might even go lower in the near future. Unfortunately, we're too busy to get into our time machines and check.
Candace Savino07.25.2008
A Dragon Quest IV comic strip draws near! Command?
Perhaps taking a cue from their RPG-localizing rivals, Atlus, whose Izuna sprite comics are a game-promoting delight, Square Enix has made the first of a series of Dragon Quest IV comic strips available on the Square Enix Members website. It follows the dapper Ragnar McRyan as he embarks on the quest to purchase some clothing!Even if it is a cute online comic whose access is restricted to people who sign up for Square Enix Members, we're glad to see Square Enix doing something to promote this game. Dragon Quest, for whatever reason, still needs a bit of a push in the U.S.
JC Fletcher07.18.2008
E308: Dragon Quest IV screens, release date scare
Those looking forward to both Final Fantasy IV and Dragon Quest IV might have had a little scare earlier due to what seems to be a typo on the official release lists. DQIV, originally dated for September in the U.S., was on that list with a date of July 22 -- the same day as Final Fantasy IV. That's way too much IV for one week, but luckily, it appears to have been a typo. The official E3 press release for Dragon Quest IV still reads September 16, 2008. Whew. We're saved from hundreds of hours of battling in one week! %Gallery-23400%
Alisha Karabinus07.15.2008