Slashdot Mirror
Dragon Quest IX for Nintendo DS
PKFC writes "Square Enix, at the 20th Anniversary Dragon Quest conference, has announced Dragon Quest IX: Defender of the Stars ... for the DS. Developed by Level 5, the game will feature four player co-operative mode and an action battle system. Also announced is a Dragon Quest arcade game called Battle Road. Both are expected to hit sometime in 2007 in Japan." This is huuuge news, as it puts the immensely popular Dragon Quest together with the immensely popular DS. Odds are Nintendo will pick up even more sales on the heels of this announcement. Relatedly, DS Fanboy got a few tidbits of info on the upcoming Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles , also for the DS.
we're gonna get a slime-shaped DS as well, a la DQVIII + slime controller?
http://mario.nobon.boo.jp/images/prints_money.gif
This is pretty much the last nail in the psp's coffin (at least in Japan.. in Europe it's dead since it was released).
But it's nice to see that some big third parties (square's fully back again?!) embracing Nintendo consoles again. Let's see if we get a "real" Final Fantasy from them as well (for the Wii).
This is a huge announcement, One of Japan's biggest franchises headed to the biggest handheld. The more I think about it though, the more it makes sense. Square-Enix has stated before that while it wants to support Sony it doesn't want to pour all of its development into the system. Essentially spreading the wealth to other consoles/markets.
Since the PS3 is already getting a Final Fantasy game, it's probably a little late now to bring out a new Dragon Quest game for the PS2, I can't imagine them sticking on 'waggle' functions for a Wii version and due to their current support of the Xbox360(have they released any games for the xbox360?) the DS is the best choice.
Chewie does not get a medal. Come on, George. Can a Wookie get a medal?
The real question is, is this the real and official Dragon Quest 9 (with no subtitle)? Square-Enix's latest craze is developing and announcing spinoff titles at the same time as the original game. Look at Final Fantasy XIII, there's the FF13 (no subtitle for the PS3), Final Fantasy Agito XIII (for the mobile phone), and Final Fantasy Versus XIII (also for the PS3). That's just one example, look how they're starting to milk Final Fantasy VII, according to Wikipedia there's something like five titles released or in development.
I am willing to bet that the "real" Dragon Quest 9 is being released on the PS3 and that Nintendo scored a one-off title and the early announcement. Either way, I'm sure the Japanese will continue to buy many millions of whatever console it is released on.
Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
While this announcement is a little surprising, considering the massive popularity of both the DS and Dragon Quest in Japan (believe me, I was there when 8 came out plus purchased my white phat DS and DS Lite there). They're going to make a fortune on this one, as everyone and their mother has a DS for one reason or another, and we might see DQ becoming more of a Nintendo franchise (don't forget that DQ: Slime Mori Mori was a big game for the DS, DQ: Monsters Joker is also coming out for the DS and there is also a game planned for the Wii) and Final Fantasy remaining a largely (aside from the DS games and Crystal Chronicles) a Playstation affair.
I am curious to see how they evolve the art style for 9 on the DS; 8 is still sitting on my "to play" pile of games, but from what I've seen it's pretty good looking. I'd hate to see a step backwards.
"There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter," Jeeves, (Jeeves and the Impending Doom)
I'm sure the mods had a hard time deciding between troll and flamebait on this one, but I'm gonna bite anyhow.
Nintendo actually takes the time (and risk) to develop different things for their series, instead of releasing the same old crap with a bit of spit and polish. Yes, that means they come out with crap some of the time. It means they will piss off people that wanted more of the same. But it also means fresh games and innovation. I'll take the latter, thanks.
If you don't LIKE the games, you are perfectly free to not buy them. You don't even have to buy the console for them. You can just let the rest of us who DO enjoy new stuff play them instead. In 10 years, if Nintendo is dead, then you can gloat and say 'I predicted their demise in a troll thread on Slashdot!' I doubt you'll get the chance, though.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
So for the part mentioning Crystal Chronicles, I wonder is it just for the DS or will it be like the first and be a combination b/t DS and Wii (a la Gamecube and GBA)? (sorry, I couldn't rtfa, guess it got /.ed)
There's no place like ALT+HOME
I'm worried about the action battle system. I've always prefered the turn based approach, even though Star Ocean was pretty cool.
The other thing that concerns me is co-op play. Will this limit the experience for those of us who don't have friends who like to get together and play video RPG's?
Is this some kind of joke? I played Mario Kart DS, and it was practically the same frigging game I played on my SNES! Ditto for New Super Mario Brothers - it's a fun game, but has practically no innovation (it's a pale shadow of SMB3) sans "big huge Mario mode", which isn't all that much. Not to mention that they've been re-releasing old games under new titles for how long now? While I haven't played it, one of the major criticisms of Twilight Princess was that it felt like every other modern Zelda game.
Nintendo makes fun games, but they're nowhere near being a pure font of innovation, and, if anything, they've gotten worse in recent years. A new controller with the old game does not mean it's a new game!
Plausible conjecture should not be misrepresented as proof positive.
I actually like the strategy element, and btw. you can expect from nintendo to try new things once in a while, most of the times they are right on, but sometimes they fail. Btw. the strategy element should have been in one of the early Starfox games, which was axed due to the pending N64 release, so it is not really new, it just never made it into a published game. The strategy element is excellent, the time limits are the problem of Starfox DS.
There's another article at GamesAreFun which includes links to some gameplay footage and other tidbits.
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
Right, because Mario Kart for the SNES ran on a handheld and supported 8 player network play.
Oh, wait, it didn't.
No, but a new kind of controller is innovation. And this is new. Oh, it's not the first 3d controller, or even the first one from nintendo. It is however the first affordable 3d controller that is not a gimmick like the power glove or the space orb.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
"Right, because Mario Kart for the SNES ran on a handheld and supported 8 player network play."
Neither of these two improvements could be classified as innovative - they're just obvious evolution. Upping the player count? WOW! Running on a handheld, just like Mario Kart Super Circuit for GBA did? I DON'T BELIEVE IT!
Again, no one's saying Mario Kart DS is not fun - hell, I was just playing it last night, and I had a great time. But Nintendo has been relying more and more on rehashes rather than new IPs, and it's starting to wear thin. Thus, I attacked the premise of "oh, Nintendo always innovates, unlike the other guys", because I don't perceive it to be true, and I think this perception is reasonably backed-up by their recent releases.
Plausible conjecture should not be misrepresented as proof positive.
Actually there was never a threat there. Square started supporting Nintendo when Yamauchi stepped down, and Iwata became president of Nintendo. There was real bad blood from the N64 / PS1 years, and Yamauchi didn't WANT Sqaure properties on Nintendo platforms. Iwata basically made amends, and Square began supporting Nintendo again with the GBA.
So the other troll's problem was that they changed games too much, and your problem is that they don't change games enough.
Let me help both of you: You're talking about different games.
Nintendo doesn't release 1 or 2 games a years. They release tons. Some of them are the same (New Super Mario Brothers) and some are completely different (Metroid Prime). Some are similar in feel and mechanics, but different in plot (Twilight Princess). They also have completely new and innovative games (Pikmin).
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
If that's what you believe, then just because you haven't been playing the more innovative titles doesn't mean that they aren't out there.
Off the top of my head, from the Gamecube generation, Nintendo developed and/or published:
Luigi's Mansion
Pikmin
Metroid Prime
Eternal Darkness
Geist
Zelda: 4 Swords
Pac Man Vs.
I'm sure there are others I've forgotten. And I'll be the first to admit that Wave Race, Smash Bros: Melee, Mario Sunshine, Zelda: Wind Waker, 1080 Avalanche, the Mario Party line, F Zero GX, and Mario Kart, along with anything else I failed to list, are basically updated rehashes. In addition to the update, they generally make substantial improvements and refinements to the genres (Mario Party excepted. Fun, but seriously, bleh. I don't need detailed instructions and hand-holding every time I try to get through the MENU system -- Hudson Soft needs to be fired.)
And how many original genres did Microsoft invent last gen? Sony?
It's impossible to make every game completely original, and unreasonable to expect it of a publisher like Nintendo. However, they do regularly give us a good dose of new things to try.
--Jeremy
Jesus was a liberal
Interesting.
Also as a side-note, Square was aquired by Enix, so it's not really Square returning to the Nintendo world so much as Enix, under its new name Square-Enix, releasing new titles for the Nintendo systems with its Square assets.
Either way, I'm happy to see more of my favorite games come out (hey, my first RPG was Dragon Warrior [Quest] and my second was Final Fantasy). I do sometimes worry about very-large companys' capacity to make the most puzzling (usually moronic) of decisions. Anyway, I'm glad to see Nintendo's return to a company that makes me excited to play games again.
--Dave Romig, Jr.
I agree with trdrstv; I had forgotten about the corporate side. I was one of the 7% wonderswan marketshare who laughed at those GBA people who couldn't replay FFI/II, Saga, and a few Square originals(Wildcard, Bluewing Blitz, etc) so I admit a bias and blindspot. At 7% wonderswan wasn't a threat but it sure was an easy marketshare aquisition to Nintendo; bring over Square and Bandai as developers and it's yours.
There's a little bit more to that aswell ...
Square lost a lot of money on Final Fantasy the movie and Iwata approached Square about how inexpensive game development was for the GBA and how (with Nintendo's help) they could make cheap games for the Gamecube; Final Fantasy: Chrystal Cronicles was a game made by a joint venture between Square that was funded by Fund Q (the new studio fund produced by Yamauchi when he steped down).
Just a quick question if you're still around. I hypothesized in my comment http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=211356&c id=17209084 that this was a good move because it's growing up with their gamers.
1) How much time do you devote a day to console games?
2) How much time do you devote a day to handheld games?
3) How much total free time a day could you devote to a console, if you wanted to?
What's more important, graphics and sound or gameplay?
I have to admit that I am so surprised by the strong developer support for the DS over the PSP. As of November 30th, 2006, DS had sold about 26 million units, while the PSP had sold about 22 million units (worldwide, source: Wikipedia) - not that much of a installed base discrepancy. Furthermore, the PSP is, at first impression, a more desirable machine - despite the higher cost, it has (by comparison) lovely graphics abilities, and far more storage. Sure, it has loading time issues, but these could certainly be fixable if the developers were willing to address them (of course, I haven't worked for the PSP, so perhaps that's more difficult than I make it sound). Why the strong developer support for the DS, then?
1. Including emulation? Probably a few hours a day, more or less depending on how interesting the game is.
2. However much free time I have at work that I don't feel like spending (or am unable to spend) on other things such as reading and surfing the Interwebs. I don't play portable games at home since I have no reason to, and I don't usually play them elsewhere outside of home because I tend to be busy doing other things.
3. If I wanted to, I could spend as much time as possible until I fell asleep. But that's not what you're asking, is it? The question is silly (and, quite frankly, insulting) because in context it implies that people who are unemployed and living on someone else's dime are in that situation simply because they're immature. (You also suggest that only immature people play console games and mature people play portable games, but that's not nearly as offensive.)
Gameplay is obviously the most important part to a game; that's why we call them "games." The fact that DQ9 will certainly have graphics of a lower quality than what is expected of a modern console RPG is not the crux of my complaint. The problem is the fact that Squenix has once again made a decision that short-sightedly looks to the bottom line without any consideration of how appropriate the decision is in context. Another example of this is making FFXI an MMORPG despite the fact that MMORPGs are very different stylistically from the rest of the series and are certainly not what people expect out of a mainline Final Fantasy game. And I don't even have to mention the FF7 spinoffs.
Oh, and quit it with the teletype; it's ugly.
Rob
I came to the conclusion that the Wii-mote is really just an enhanced and repackaged Kenshin Dragon Quest sword some time ago. I believe that Nintendo and Square-Enix got into an agreement which gives Nintendo the rights to Square's patented technology for the Wii. This also allows for Square-Enix to exclusively develop for Nintendo too since they're using the Square technology in the Wii-mote.
This change from Sony to Nintendo seems to fit into the whole concept rather well.
Sample size 1.
1. Console
Emulation only: few hours.
2. Handheld
At work but not at home or outside of home.
3. Total available time
No limits.
4. Graphics or Gameplay
Gameplay and suitability/appropriateness of platform.
5. Externals
"The question is silly (and, quite frankly, insulting) because in context it implies that people who are unemployed and living on someone else's dime are in that situation simply because they're immature. (You also suggest that only immature people play console games and mature people play portable games, but that's not nearly as offensive.)"
I was not implying that unemployed console players are immature. I am implying that my family structure doesn't allow me a solid 1-2 hour block of time for a fulfilling console experience and was questioning how my position scales to the population. I can't even find the time to install GRUB on my external HD to get a Kubuntu CD image booting with permanence because award bios beeps every time I change the configuation (Which wakes the baby).
who never particularly cared for the most recent Dragon Quest games, this game looks so much different that it should definitely be worth checking out. I am quite excited about the concept myself!
I actually kind of see the point that the Courier guy is making here. I recieved a DS as a gift earlier this year and enjoyed it a lot. I played casually and I thought it was a neat gadget. Since I've moved from a small town to a thriving metropolis, I spend a lot of time on public transit and I've been loving my DS in ways I never knew possible. I think different people are going to be playing games for different reasons, but for those of us with 9-to-5's, handheld gaming is many ways more feasible. When I come home from work, I rarely have time to justify sitting around and play console games, but handhelds are great because it's easy to sneak a bit of play time in between more 'pressing' events.
So if a game company is going to release a game in a series held near-and-dear to the hearts of a lot of 'retro gamers', why not release it in a format that's more compatible with a 'grown up' lifestyle? I can't count how many traditionally 'respectable individuals' I see every day playing DS on the trains.
When I come home from work, I rarely have time to justify sitting around and play console games, but handhelds are great because it's easy to sneak a bit of play time in between more 'pressing' events.
That's mainly a function of the portable games, not the portable systems. There's no reason why a "quickie" game can't be on a console, and in fact there are a few of them. They usually aren't seen on consoles, though, because the market for those games is on portable systems. By the same token, the market for epic console RPGs that are certainly not "pick up and play" is on the consoles. There's no reason to expect that DQ9 will have the same type of gameplay that games from series that were meant for portable systems have. And even if DQ9's gameplay will be like that, then that means that there will be massive differences between it and the rest of the series. (We already know about the whole "cooperative action-RPG" break from the other games.)
Rob
They are thinking, "We are making this for the Japanese market where the DS is outselling all other consoles combined by 2:1 every week, and the reason DQ outsells FF every single time certainly isn't because of the graphics."
just some guy
"They usually aren't seen on consoles, though, because the market for those games is on portable systems."
It has more to do with the fact that most people don't want to drop $60 on a 'quickie' game.
--
WHO ATE MY BREAKFAST PANTS?
Furthermore, Mario Kart DS is NOTHING like Super Mario Kart (SNES). I think what you're thinking of is Mario Kart 64; the engine, of which, MKDS is based off of. And I will agree, Mario Kart DS, except for a few minor changes, is basically Mario Kart 64, with a new (and bigger) level set, and WiFi capabilities. That said, it was a very very welcome addition to the handheld game lineup, whether or not it was innovative (which I would agree, it wasn't). It was little more than a port of a really great game to a system that badly needed a port of it.
Similarly, Mario Kart Advance was based off the Super Mario Kart engine (with some minor changes), was a welcome addition... but a bit behind the times (Mode 7 died a horrible death at the hands of Star Fox, and had no need of returning).
The problem was Mario Kart Double Dash, which wasn't that bad of a game, but wasn't recieved too well, and basically just kept the same graphics, upped the polygon count, and really screwed with the gameplay (they were trying to be innovative, I'll give them that). Sadly, people would have been happier with Mario Kart 64 II, without the "2-seater" element, just a new level set andup-to-date graphics. They got it with Mario Kart DS.
Let's be fair, Mario Kart is not exactly Nintendo's "super innovative, OMG, you can't do that on a console!" series... leave that to Mario, Zelda, WarioWare, Smash, and some of their other games. No, Mario Kart is just a silly waste of time, fun as all hell, party game. It's a racing game... IE: just give me more courses, and I'm happy.
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
I've been playing DQ8 on the PS2 some, but the DS is what I have with me everywhere I go.
My blog: http://www.seebs.net/log/ --- My iPhone/iPad app: http://www.seebs.net/seebsfrac/
That's a load of crock. It was money out of Yamauchi's pocket that funded Square's return to Nintendo, via the Game Designer's Studio. It wasn't his stepping down that allowed Square to develop for Nintendo systems again. It was the public apology from Square for their actions during the N64/PSX era, and the demotion of their officers.
Basically, Square flooded the consumers with anti-Nintendo propaganda, and publicly stated that they would never develop for a Nintendo system again, during the FF7 promotions. There is also a rumour that Square convinced Enix to move Dragon Quest to Playstation, costing Nintendo BIG TIME. Nintendo took a huge loss in sales over the incident, and held a grudge against Square for years.
Square started to feel the pain as well when the GBA came out. It was a PERFECT system for them to develop for. They could port many of their old games to it, and make tonnes of money. In addition, the FF Movie bombed big time, and Square was in TROUBLE. They really had no choice but to bite the bullet and give Nintendo their apology, to gain permission to develop for the handheld. A side effect of the deal was a Final Fantasy game for GameCube.
Possibly because the more innovative Double Dash wasn't received as well as Nintendo hoped. Same applies to Zelda: Wind Waker was probably too fresh, so Nintendo took a step back. And yeah, the new DS Mario is a total fan service: Great game, not too much new stuff, just what people wanted.
So you picked the three games with the least amount of innovation. Doesn't mean that what grandparent said isn't true.
I wasn't aware that the games on XBox Live Arcade, for example, were $60 each. There are a lot of reasons why the market is on portable systems, but development costs don't factor in nearly as much as the fact that portables can be taken anywhere, or the fact that portables have traditionally been much weaker than consoles, making huge blockbuster games unfeasible.
Rob
Don't compare conventionally published 3d games to 2d games on XBox Live Arcade so lightly. All you do is conflate several issues--games on the arcade have less visibility at present, and when you buy a game on there, you can't later sell it, or take it to a friend's house. Both of these things incidentally have nothing to do with 2d and work to invalidate any comparisons you might make.
--
WHO ATE MY BREAKFAST PANTS?
There ya go
I don't own a snook, and if I did I wouldn't leave it cocked.