What is the deal with Dragon Quest? Why is it so popular, is

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It's simply the best, my man.

>>378676079
But why? I'm not asking for an essay, just give me a basic rundown.

It's about as standard a JRPG you could possibly get. The biggest draw though would probably have to be that it makes an incredible attempt to make it feel like you're on an adventure, rather than just following along with a story.

It also doesn't mess with its combat system much at all. Every game in the series, for the most part, just adds onto the mechanics instead of replacing them. When it comes to basics of control, if you've played one, you've played them all. I really enjoy that about it, but it's not for everyone; it doesn't try to innovate mechanically.

Think of a comfy FF with less "muh world destroyers"

>>378676490
Here is the basic gestalt :
>Turn-based combat
>Heroic fantasy
>great music
>no love interest weeb shit
>patrician scenario
>great characters

>>378676764
A game having a good sense of adventure has always been a big draw for me, and I don't get that very often from JRPGs for whatever reason, so that's interesting to hear. If they're all more or less the same gameplay wise, should I try to play one of the older ones first so I don't get used to the expected quality of life improvements from the newer games?

>>378676887
Comfy is good too. I get that from Tales of- quite a bit.

>>378677348
DQ8 is probably the best one to get to start. If you have a 3DS or Ps2.

>>378677563
I have a 3ds.
Now that I think of it, weren't a ton of them ported to Ds too? I guess if I like 8 I can check one of those out afterwards.

>>378677886
yeah the DS got 4-6.

3DS also got 7 which is a fan favorite but was originally a ps1 game so even it feels dated compared to the ps2-era 8.

Basically you can't go wrong whichever you choose. But 8 may be your best shot for a positive introduction to the series. If you like it you'll do well to play others because they're all of the same vein.

Very comfy series and addictive af when you get into the rhythm of the gameplay.

>>378677348
The problems with some of the older ones is that they haven't aged particularly well. 1 is pretty grindy, and 2 has a tendency to actively hate the player. Good entries into the series would be 3, 5, or 8.

If you're okay with somewhat archaic combat, though, 1 is perfectly fine as long as it's not the NES version. It basically says 'This guy's the bad guy, his castle is right over there, figure out how to get there and murder him' and lets you explore the world, with the only thing standing in your way being whether you can actually kill the monsters that you encounter or not.

I mainly say this in case you're like me and prefer to do things 'in order' as it were since 1-3 and 4-6 are somewhat loosely-tied trilogies, going initial -> sequel -> prequel, and there's a lot of throwbacks because of it.

dragon quest is a series which sticks to the same formula and tries to build upon the formula with every mainline release

i guess people like it for its consistency. for me it's the monster design and the games just have a charming feel to them

>>378678202
>>378678238
Thanks, I'll go 8 and then probably 4-6. I like JRPGs and I'm pretty sure I'll like the games the way you all are describing them, so I'm going to jump right in.

I want to play IV - VI but they don't sell old DS games anymore in most stores and even online they're hard to find. Eurofag here.

>>378680482
Ds games are piss-easy to emulate on a pc/laptop

>>378677216
Pretty much these. Keep in mind Dragon Quest & FFXI are the only things that kept SE from going bankrupt for a few years there.

Apparently DQX is GOAT but release outside of Japan never.

>>378680482
I have IV for ds and it removed party chat so go with android or whatever mobile version is available.

>>378675889
I never could get into FF honestly and I tried with 9 as my first and honestly it just bored the shit out of me. Imagine Chrono Trigger but everything is in the medieval era instead of time traveling. Combat can be piss easy but fuck you up if you're not paying attention.

>>378675889
DQ is basically that 8/10 girl with a 10/10 personality.

>>378683309
So a perfect girl?

Is 5 the one with the waifus? Do you just travel around with a harem until you pick one and the others dissapear or do they stay with you until the end?

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>>378682485
>DQX is GOAT but release outside of Japan never.

This pisses me off so much. The only MMO that I want to play and can't.

>>378683543
I just meant that you'd probably not fall in love with DQ by simply observing it on a surface level (artstyle/music/gameplay - all of which are good, but seldom outstanding).

>>378682485
>DQX is GOAT
no

It sticks to what it's good at instead of trying to wildly change with every new game.

You can pick up any Dragon Quest game and know pretty much exactly to expect. They're just very well made, concise JRPGs. No unnecessary fluff.

>>378683659
Yes, but there's no harem shenanigans. You only get to pal around with one of the 2 (3) choices before you actually get married, and you never get to pal around with the choices you didn't take.

>>378683954
yes

>>378675889
I got the 3DS game that came out last year, it bored me to tears. Also the re use of assets drove me up the fucking wall, you know how in Chrono Trigger the NPCs wear different clothes depending on the time line you're in? in this game they wear all the same fucking clothes, story characters are just random NPCs save for a king and that female warrior you meet at the start, nothing sets them appart from the rest of the plebs other than having a name.

I am never again putting money on another DQ game, i'd sooner buy another call of duty rinse and repeat warfare.

Is it bad I like Toriyama's sameface? I always latch onto the one that looks like Bulma and 18.

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>>378684825
What a fucking pleb

>>378684825
Dragon Quest 7?
I wasn't too happy with the remake myself. I fucking hated the graphical style they used (the Joker games on DS looked more pleasing to the eyes), and the majority of the maps in the game were just the PS1 versions but with slightly shinier textures, and resized to fit 3D models.

Also DQ7 is also probably one of the worst ones to start with due to the beginning, which is why I was worried when they decided to bring that over first. If you could I'd say pirate or emulate DQ8 to see if you like it any better. The beginning of the game is handled much better.

It's quite generic, the battle systems are never complex, innovative or creative, they are simple and straighfoward, the dungeons designs are also nothing outstanding, the story is Pokemon-level and the boss battles are quite easy, especially if you like grinding.

This series has actually a lot of similaritires with Pokemon, since both are afraid of innovation and stick to traditional and simple concepts and the fans like it.

The japanese like it a lot because of nostalgia mostly. But don't get me wrong, the games are quite comfy, the OST is quite good and you can have some fun with it, just don't expect FF6-9 levels of good.

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>>378675889

>>378686582
But pokemon battles can easily be complex, innovative, and creative.

>>378687074
On the online of couse, but the singleplayer is pathetic, there's a guy who beat Ruby's singleplayer using only a Magikarp. The game shines on online yes, but I think they should create a more complex and strategic battle system exclusively for offline battle and even create some bosses with a lot of health.

>>378687074
You have 4 moves...
I can kinda understand multiplayer, but in-game?

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>>378675889
turn based
creative monster designs
huge focus on world exploration

the series also used to be big about dungeon difficulty and mp rationing, but the games have gotten a lot easier.
the cute girls are also a bonus.

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>>378686582

Pretty much this, I never got too far into any I tried for these reasons, but at the same time I can see why some may enjoy them.

>>378678238
>Dragon quest 2 has a tendency to actively hate the player

Truer words have never been spoken

>Where should I start with Dragon Quest?
That's like asking where you should start with Pokemon. Anything works. Generally recommended games that don't require much knowledge of the others:
III, V, VIII, and maybe IX.

The rest are either part of a trilogy(III technically is, but it's fine to skip the first two), or they're X, which is an MMO. Have at it.

>>378675889
I enjoyed that even random battles could necessitate the use of skills/spells
Better than spamming attack

Of course, you could get to that point, but it's fun until then

Dragon Quest and SMT are the only ongoing JRPG series that I can stomach.

Unlike most JRPGs, DQ actually takes the time actually focus on things other than the battle system. It actually focuses on exploration and giving the player a good sense of adventure. Despite what feeling the art of the series may give off, there are minimal blatant anime cliches and character tropes in this series that plague so many other JRPGs.

The games never take themselves too seriously, and when shit goes down in these games it's actually delivered well and has impact. DQVII and VIII were the best for this kind of thing.
DQ is nice to play even when you're not looking to progress through the story as the games often give the player other things to focus on (like getting monster allies and allowing them to explore). Most JRPG series would just force the player into a linear path cutscene to cutscene with an occasional, short period that might allow the player time out of the story. For this reason DQ doesn't hold the player's hand and makes them look for clues and details so they can progress.

There are aspects of DQ that I'm not fond of, but I'd still take it any day over majority of JRPGs.

>>378675889
How is it popular? nobody gives a shit about dq outside of nipland

I like how fast and threatening the battles in DQ are. Playing the same in FF leads to battles that last forever and it just gets old, but having to be on your toes for DQ is good.

Also, that part in DQ3 where you get to Alefgard, never have I had a sense of wonder like that before.

Dragon Quest 8 is the quintessential ps2 jrpg. You can't really be a jrpg fan without playing it. The series overall is huuuge in Japan because it set the standard for the jrpg formula.

>>378675889
Dragon Quest has stayed close to its roots and so, the good ones still have some psudo-WRPG elements. This tends to be popular with Japan, who apparently don't enjoy watching movie-games any more than the rest of us.

Also, you get to play the damn hero who goes out and solves the village's problems, not the guy who just stops at an inn and gets praised because he killed god 20 hours later.

>>378689736
It's actually rather surprising that you say that, when you look at the games in-depth. You're right, the games don't really take themselves that seriously, but when you actually look at things in some of the games it's rather apparent just how bad things actually are. Think about any game past 3 and think about how many people actually die in this series, and compare that to almost any other JRPG.

There's no response. It's just a corpse.