Dragon Quest VIII

Dragons Quest VIII is a fantasy story that has elements of Grimms fair tales. In it, you are the hero in a fantasy kingdom called Trodea, where the King has been turned into a troll, and the princess into a horse. As the king’s retainer, it is your duty to accompany the king as he seeks to cure himself and the princess of their new forms.

This game is very similar to other fantasy RPGs such as Suikoden III, and has a classic, retro feel that never gets old.

Rich character development

One thing is clear from the very beginning of the game. Armor Project put a lot of thought into the creation of these characters, and it shows. Characters have a lot of personality worked into their appearance alone, and their characterization also comes out in how they are written. It’s a surprisingly well done part of the game that greatly enhances the experience.

The japanese version doesn’t have any voices, but for the English translation Armor Project outdid themselves with a very high quality cast. The voices were sourced from out of Europe, and bring life to the characters with their talent.

Hours of fun

Dragons Quest VIII has about 80 hours of gameplay, with smooth plot flow and story progression that makes the hours fly by. The world is very immersive, and the length of the game is appropriate considering you are essentially on a world tour with your king.

The game has a main storyline, of course, but like many in the Dragon’s Quest line, the game is very free form. You may work on the main quest, only to get sidetracked by an intriguing mountain or castle in the distance, and explore for hours before remembering there is a main quest at all.

Huge environments

When out on adventures, it really does feel like you have an entire planet to move around in. Dragons Quest 8 is huge, and each area provides generous space to move around in and explore before heading to the next area. These areas are also generous with castles, towns, and unique areas to explore. The Dragon’s Quest series has long since been known for its huge environments, but this time it is taken a step farther by having much more beautiful graphics.

Old school isn’t always cool

If you love Japanese RPGs, this is one of the best. That being said, there are a few aspects of the game that could be reworked for better function.

The most annoying part is the fact that while items can be shared between players, they have to be moved one at a time to the “catch all” backpack. This can take a lot of time for a relatively minor thing.

Pros

• Great storyline
• Retro graphics
• Over 80 hours of gameplay

Cons

• Some aspects of the game take a long time

Japan's most beloved role-playing franchise (previously known on these shores as Dragon Warrior) tries once again to snuggle up with Western questers with this latest installment.

With Final Fantasy XII pushed into mid-2006, DQ8 should easily grab the RPG crown this fall. This series has always offered fantastic depth (want to focus on maxing out your heroine's sex appeal skills? Go right ahead.) and fundamentally engrossing gameplay, but always looked and sounded archaic. Not anymore--this game looks fantastic, with vast fields to explore, stylish anime-style characters, and dazzling special effects.