Dragon quest 8?

should i buy this game? i've seen the first 10 or so minutes of gameplay and the story seems good, light hearted and fun. i hope the best for that.

the battle system would be a nice, slight change to the familiar FF turn based system and the graphics seem nice.

will the world impress me? its all very nice saying you can go just about anywhere as long as you can see it without screen changes. but you never really know till you've played it so its opinion. the graphics seem good. and the thing i loved about soul reaver 1 was the great interesting world. so this is important to me.

I think it will certainly quench some boredom after completing every other FF and legacy of kain and playing guitar hero to death.

i really value your opinions. no spoilers please. thank you!

Dragon Quest VIII is an excellent game, but only if you prefer a challenge, and by that I mean having a lack of save points in dungeons, having to sometimes stop what you are doing to level up (which can take a while), etc. The game's world is massive and there are treasure chests and side quests everywhere as long as you know where to look. SE really put a lot of effort into the game and it shows.

The plot isn't the most spectacular thing to grace the world, as it is very simple but effective. You may find yourself caught off guard by some plot twists, though. Character development is also not very noticeable, which is a bit of a shame, but not that big of a loss. There are several characters, however, that really do stand out and will probably leave a good impression in your mind.

Perhaps the best way to summarize the whole game is like this: If you are playing this expecting it to be like a Final Fantasy game, then just stop. It is most DEFINITELY nothing like one.

I tend to find good RPGs that dont lose pace as you progress, dont make you spend time leveling up as long as you've spent reasonable time exploring and not running away. as long as i explore and level normally there wont be loads of times where i am forced to remove myself from the story to level. right?

its an impressive game and i think i'll get it. almost definetly. it seems gripping enough and the simplicity seems effective for such a semi-light hearted game.

^Its not that hard until later in the game, and is an enjoyable game. It can get a bit tiring at times since the story is not that good, but the world is beautiful to explore and the music is good. (Although not as good as Uematsu)

Ill give you a tip though - a good Monster Team helps a lot. Thats how I escaped from levelling much.

There's a good hundred hours of play in it, with its biggest weakness being its slowness at times. Still great to play if you've got the time.

Thank you. i think i'll get it. a good monster team? i'm not sure what you mean.

i like the looks of it, i'll enjoy it.

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Originally Posted by boys from the dwarf

Thank you. i think i'll get it. a good monster team? i'm not sure what you mean.
i like the looks of it, i'll enjoy it.

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Oh you'll find out. Unless if you miss the mansion that is.

all good. i understand i'll be in for 100 hours of gameplay but gaming wise theres not a lot else other than replaying stuff. i'll sleep on it anyway. thanks. i know just about everything i want to now.

It'll only be 100 hours if you do every sidequest, and drop the story to level for a bit. There were times I had to go back to one of the earlier dungeons and grind on metal slimes, which works wonders, if you can find them and kill them fast enough.

Ahh, I just started DQVIII again, and it was pretty fun. The environment is much more beautiful if you have a good tv (before, I had an old one). The NPCs are also quite interesting to talk to and the VAs are amusing/annoying.

This maybe should go in General Square-Enix.

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Originally Posted by boys from the dwarf

should i buy this game? i've seen the first 10 or so minutes of gameplay and the story seems good, light hearted and fun. i hope the best for that.

the battle system would be a nice, slight change to the familiar FF turn based system and the graphics seem nice.

will the world impress me? its all very nice saying you can go just about anywhere as long as you can see it without screen changes. but you never really know till you've played it so its opinion. the graphics seem good. and the thing i loved about soul reaver 1 was the great interesting world. so this is important to me.

I think it will certainly quench some boredom after completing every other FF and legacy of kain and playing guitar hero to death.

i really value your opinions. no spoilers please. thank you!

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I think it will meet your expectations - the story indeed is good, lighthearted, and fun.

It really took me back to what RPGs used to be, just the little things like sound effects. Speaking of sounds, it is one of the best video game scores I've experienced. If I had to compare it to Uematsu I would have to say this guy's better. Every FF has great music, plus those few tracks that stick out and really touch the player, but DQVIII was breathtaking from beginning to end.

Yes, the world will impress you. Graphically it's nothing short of impressive, watching how the sky changes from day to night alone accomplishes that, and there's just this return of the fun of exploring that it incorporated into the game. You might just look into the distance and see a treasure chest and next thing you know you're off to go get it, and figuring out how to get there (because it's worth it almost every time). Storywise it does have its own world with its own history, mythology, and society structure, so if that's what you mean by your reference to soul reaver I think you'll like it.

Gameplay-wise it's the age old turn based, same 4 party members from when you get them one after another until the end of the game, but it's still very fun and there's a ton of strategy you can incorporate into it if you want.

Basically it took me 2 years and 130 hours to beat this game and I don't regret any of it.

I haven't beaten it,i'm some 50 hours in it but i will start all over again now that i got the official strategy guide.
I agree with almost everything Bolivar said,i just want to add that this game has an "atmosphere" that is almost magical...I haven't felt this in a game since a long time.

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Originally Posted by Bolivar

Speaking of sounds, it is one of the best video game scores I've experienced. If I had to compare it to Uematsu I would have to say this guy's better. Every FF has great music, plus those few tracks that stick out and really touch the player, but DQVIII was breathtaking from beginning to end.

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Out of all the video game soundtracks that I have, the Dragon Quest series has the most boring music ever. Sure, it is well composed, but it's just so boring. I could not stand to listen to it much - though I do appreciate the composer tremendously, just not as much as Uematsu and other video game composers.

It is an alright game. A lot more challenging than most mainstream role playing games, in my opinion. Just not my favourite.

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Originally Posted by boys from the dwarf

should i buy this game?

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Most definitely.

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Originally Posted by boys from the dwarf

will the world impress me? its all very nice saying you can go just about anywhere as long as you can see it without screen changes. but you never really know till you've played it so its opinion. the graphics seem good.

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yes

This was a great game. I found it a little more time consuming than FF titles, but still an awesome game.

Beautiful world, which is vast and wonderful to explore. Great turn-based battle system, great dialogue, the alchemy pot is a wonderful idea.