Japanese games developer Square Enix is a respected force in the games world, and rightly so. It managed to create what is regarded as the most playable series of RPG’s of all time with Final Fantasy.
Now Square’s turned publisher with Dragon Quest as its first title.
And what a game to choose, after causing a major stir in the UK games industry circles and sending critics into a frenzy with its slick visuals and mind grabbing gameplay.
Having already sold more than 35m copies across the franchise, high hopes are expected for its UK debut. And thanks to manga artist Akira Toriyama, the characters offer appeal to both hardcore fans and the more casual player.
They say:
Total Playstation: “If you grew up on Japanese console RPGs, this should already be in your PS2 library.”
1UP: “If you remember the Dragon Warrior series fondly from the NES days, this is your moment.”
Eurogamer:” The love and care in the minutiae is staggering and layered twice over: firstly by the original programmers and secondly by the localisation team which brought the game over to the west, and generously added in a host of features not in the original.”
We say:
Designed as the first 3D instalment of the long-running Dragon Quest series, this beast of a game is just the ticket for keeping you entertained over the Easter holiday and summer months.
The graphics in this epic are a joy to behold, with styling, animation and presentation the best yet seen in an RPG thanks to the work of manga king Toriyama.
Every onscreen design is a visual treat and – if nothing else – will keep you looking into the screen for a long time to come.
Dragon Quest’s developer has gone to town with its high production values, creating voiceovers with real ambience, a slick menu system and more stats than Championship Manager can throw at you.
With an RPG such as this, gameplay is what really matters and Dragon Quest has it in spades.
Size is all too. DQ is an epic - if you were to do everything it would you take over 100 hours to complete. There’s multiple islands, continents and hideaways to explore, with some destinations offering over 20 hours of gameplay alone.
If that’s not enough to wet your appetite, the well executed combat system certainly will. The menu driven battles contain all the usual spells and attack functions, but clever artificial intelligence means those who simply press “attack” all the time will fall flat on their face.
Although the plotline and narrative in Dragon Quest are fairly basic, every other element of this marvellous feat is outstanding enough to work its magic on all who play it.
FORMATS
PS2
POSTED...
Sun 16 Apr 2006 at 9:56am
