EVILNess reviews DS games

[Daimo Mac, The Blue Light of Hope]

Originally Posted by Fifthfiend

So, it's R-Type?

...fuck, I just reminded myself how good R-Type was.

YES!

Oh man that game was freaking awesome.

[EVILNess]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bookworm

Do you have any other systems, incidentally?

I have my PC, my DS, a SNES thats about kaput, a GBA, and my PS2. I think I might have a Dreamcast and a N64 in storage, but I am not sure about that.

I was gonna do Elite Beat Agents next to get RT Seal of Approval (c), but I haven't completed that game, and all the Bangai-O I've been playing in the last week has made me want to do something with a less hectic pace.

So probably a nice easy RPG. I'm thinking Dragon Quest IV*.


*This is subject to change anytime I goddamn feel like it.

[Daimo Mac, The Blue Light of Hope]

Originally Posted by EVILNess

So probably a nice easy RPG. I'm thinking Dragon Quest IV

Umm...

Nice, easy and Dragon Quest do not work together.

[EVILNess]

Originally Posted by Mac

Umm...

Nice, easy and Dragon Quest do not work together.

I've been playing Bangai-O Spirits and Elite Beat Agents.

[Fifthfiend]

Ness translated: "So I've been slaming my junk in a car door for the last couple or three weeks now. I'm thinking maybe punching myself in the face will be a nice relaxing change of pace."

[Mike McC]

Lemme tell you, after Jumpin' Jack Flash, quite a number of things seem easier. Like quantum theory.

[PCD]

Originally Posted by Mike McC

Lemme tell you, after Jumpin' Jack Flash, quite a number of things seem easier. Like quantum theory.

Sigquote because god it's so true.

I'd like to see a review of EBA once you finish, except for the part where any criticism of my favorite game ever would probably depress and irritate me.

[Kim]

But, but I sigquoted it... I guess I'll take Fifth's. It's a close second.

[EVILNess]

Okay, its official next update is Dragon Quest 4: Chapters of the Chosen.

[EVILNess]

Sorry about the wait, I had a tad bit of difficulty with the last boss in the bonus dungeon of Dragon Quest 4. Anyway read on. Also, this totally doesn't count as double posting.

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

Story
Score: (4/5)

The story is classic Dragon Quest, all the way. You are a chosen hero who must embark on an epic journey to defeat some ambiguous Lord of the Underworld. While the story itself is pretty generic, its the execution of the story that is whats most interesting about it.

Basically, the premise of the game is that there are 4 separate stories that all lead up to the hero's quest. In each chapter you start off fresh as a new individual. The game starts with a prologue that wasn't in the original NES game. It basically introduces you to the inhabitants of the town the Hero grows up in. In chapter 1 you play the noble Ragnar McRyan as you try to solve the disappearances of the "wee bairns" of a neighboring town. In Chapter 2 you play a Russian-esque princess who drags her two loyal retainers all over the place just so she can compete in a battle tournament. Chapter 3 sees you star as the portly Torneko, merchant extraordinare as he goes out to make lots of cash, and open his own shop. Chapter 4 is all about the two sisters Meena and Maya as they go into the world out to get revenge for the murder of their father by his evil protege. Finally, Chapter 5 is where it all comes together.

Story wise this game is very basic, but for a remake of a NES era game it is surprisingly deep. The script was lovingly crafted, and the what little story there is flowed incredibly well for me. In fact, I actually found myself somewhat sympathizing with the villain when they got around to explaining the reason for all the madness.

The availability of an alternate ending to a game always makes me a happy gamer and this game really delivers. The 6th chapter really made me smile. Without spoiling too much, its called The Road to the Happy End for a reason.

BOTTOM LINE: Typical Dragon Quest plot, but told with a special twist that makes you forget the fact that you've played this same scenario in eight other Dragon Quest games.

Characterization
Score: (3/5)

The thing I love about the Dragon Quest games is that talking to everyone is always rewarding. Each person seems to have some hint of personality. The main characters are all interesting in their own way, and this is no where better represented than by when you have to leave someone behind as collateral because your party becomes suspect of a crime. Make sure you take the time to talk to everyone here, you'll thank me later. Not only do the main characters has some nice personalities, you also get to meet various NPCs, some of which will join you as temporary characters, who have lots of spunk themselves.

Each nation in the game has its own regional dialect, which will either make the game much more interesting for you, or irritate you.

There is one thing that made me deduct a large amount from this category. Particularly the feature where you can talk to your party members and get their opinion on the current surroundings and situations. Or more specifically, the lack of it. It was removed from the translated version you see. Honestly, there was no reason to do this and shame on Squeenix.

BOTTOM LINE: I really love the characterization on the Dragon Quest games, it always shows a love that you rarely see in other games. However, this game is marred by the lack of a way to conversate with your party members.

Graphics
Score: (3/5)

Who here liked Dragon Warrior VII? Well, this game runs on the same exact engine as that game. This DS game is actually a port, not a remake. The remake was actually a PS1 game that never made it to American shores (GASP! IMAGINE THAT!). However, the DS version actually is enhanced visually from the PS1 version. So basically this game is an enhanced port of a remake of the original game. Wow, thats pretty complicated.

For those of you who never played Dragon Warrior VII or haven't picked this one up yet the best way to describe the graphics is sprites on 3d environments. Except the world map, thats still flat. Everything is crisp, clean, and very much in the Dragon Quest style.

The monsters all have their own unique animations, and once again you can tell that some love went into this game. The spells are also beautifully done, and actually can be quite dazzling sometimes!

BOTTOM LINE: Same engine as Dragon Warrior VII. Same overall style as all the 2d Dragon Quests.

Sound
Score: (5/5)

The music is the same orchestral themes we heard in Dragon Quest VIII, in other words... its epic. The sound is crisp, clean, and just awesome. It really fits the tone of the adventure. In fact there are 5 over world themes, and they change depending on who is leading the party. Not much else to say.

BOTTOM LINE: Its pretty much the same music as from Dragon Quest 8, and if that isn't a good enough explanation then you haven't played Dragon Quest 8 and for that you should be flogged.

Gameplay
Score: ()

The gameplay portion is pretty straightforward. Its a basic JRPG, in fact some might argue that Dragon Quest is THE JRPG. You have random battles, spells, and turn-based combat where you can't actually see anybody in your party. You travel across a world map from town to town following obscure story hints on what the fuck you are supposed to do. Of course you guys know this, you have most likely played a Dragon Quest game or something similar at some point in time.

There is potentially lots of stuff to do on the side, there is an immigrant town sidequest, the casino where you can play poker, slots, or bet on monster battles, not to mention a few side quests. Obtaining Mini-medals is still a time consuming en devour and you also have a book of monster info you can fill up.Of course, none of this appeals to me after I beat the game, but your mileage may vary. It is at least there to do.

While the game does have a certain nostalgia about it, I was really just left wanting more. You see the game is short. I keep reading that the game takes an average of 40 hours, but I beat the whole game and the bonus chapter and the challenge boss in a little under 26 hours (this may have be partly due to the fact that I played and own Dragon Warrior IV, so grain of salt here). I have a personal philosophy when it comes to games. I better get 1 hour of playtime out of every dollar I spend for the game (Excluding tax). I paid Squeenix's jacked up $40 for this game. Why does Square-Enix think they are better than every other game developer out there? Probably because they know they can get away with the extra 10-spot surcharge because we are all stupid. If I could have gone back in time I would have probably waited until I could have gotten it used for about $25. Don't get me wrong, its a good game. Its just short. And easy.

Did I mention the game was easy? Yeah it is. The game doesn't have a difficulty curve, it has a the difficulty equivalent of a bunny slope. Sure there at the end things start to get harder, but I blew through the game without dying once until I got to the bonus dungeon, and the it was a matter of leveling for 5 hours. Yes, I spent the last 5 hours of my playtime on Dragon Quest 4 leveling to beat the bonus boss, who really isn't hard as so much tedious and unfair.

Also, as a side note it did get kinda annoying to start off at level 1 five different times. I'm just saying.

BOTTOM LINE: Classic JRPG. Short and easy. I paid too much.

Overall Score: (3/5)
ABOVE AVERAGE

I liked the game I really did, it was a everything I expected. I just wish I had waited to buy the damn thing. Its much to short and easy, and given the choice to purchase again I would have held off and bought it used. Better yet, borrow it from a friend or rent it.