I think I might *gulp* be a DQ fan.

[Bastian]

I'd never played Dragon Quest (or Warrior, as it was known, back in my day) because . . . I don't even know why. But my friend Casey raved about them whenever my friend Dylan and I would talk about FF.

I purchased DQVIII for the PS2 in a used game store because it was super cheap (I was looking for FFX, which I was finally going to play) and started it . . . and hated it. Call me old-school-nostalgist, but I didn't care for the 3D overworld stuff. I prefer my RPGs nice and pixilated and overhead, thank you very much.

But then DQIV remade for the DS was on sale for $9.99! So I picked up a copy . . . played part of it, hated it, and put it down.

HOWEVER! I ran out of games to play last week and remembered I had those two DQ games that I paid good money for . . . so I popped DQIV in and . . . LOVED IT! I played it non-stop until I beat it in a matter of less than a week.

I thought to myself, "Yeah, well . . . I'm sure I'll still think DQVIII sucks!" but gave it a go yesterday . . . and LOVE IT!

I'm pretty sure aliens abducted me and reprogrammed me to love DQ.

Or I accepted them for what they were . . . which is NOT FF.

Who here also loves DQ? Who here hates DQ? Anyone else go through a hate-to-love arc?

[VeloZer0]

I played DQ8 but I couldn't get into it at all. I probably only played two hours or so. I always hear nice things about the series, but I have been reticent to try another game seeing as I always heard DQ8 was so good.

[Bastian]

I think DQVIII only works for a person if they've already played the 2D DQ games. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something very OFF about DQVIII as a newcomer's first game.

I say try one of the 2D games first.

[Wolf Kanno]

I have a love hate relationship with the series. When I break the game down into its basic elements, I can go on and on about how crappy they are and how a dozen games do it better but for some weird reason, all this crappy design, when combined, collapses in on itself and creates a series that keeps me hooked to the very end.

I've debated doing another playthrough of DQVII many times but can't bring myself to do it despite loving every minute of it when I was playing it. I've loved all the DQ games I've played so far and only stopped playing DQVIII cause another game caught my attention and I sorta never got around to picking it up again. I'll probably rectify that soon. I still need to play DQIV and V, though I have the ROMs I feel it would be better to pick them up; since I usually only own ROMs of games that never made it here or I already own. I have strict pirating rules...

[Mikeneko Rocker -- Tim]

I'd love to get into DQ, if they add more DBZ references.

[ANGRYWOLF]

Never felt the motivation.
I don't understand what the draw is.Maybe I need to watch some videos of what are considered the best ones and see if I too change my mind.

[VeloZer0]

I still need to play DQIV and V, though I have the ROMs I feel it would be better to pick them up; since I usually only own ROMs of games that never made it here or I already own. I have strict pirating rules...

I've always felt that if you weren't going to pick up the game anyways ROMs are completely legit. There are several titles that I would never had bought if I hadn't played the game for free first. But then again I am the type who will by a game after I have beaten the whole thing and just have the physical copy sit on my shelf unopened.

I was going to give them a spin on ROMs a little while ago, but damn Sony took away PS3 Linux support so I can't play them on my PS3

[Wolf Kanno]

Never felt the motivation.
I don't understand what the draw is.Maybe I need to watch some videos of what are considered the best ones and see if I too change my mind.

Videos will not help you I'm afraid. The games will continue to look bland and archaic. I can't really put my finger on why I like them but I do attribute part of it to the fact that I don't mind grinding...

Really it has more to do with the games structures and the fact the stories really have some serious twists but because of the formulaic structure you never expect them so they always catch you off guard... My personal favorite twist being the one in DQIII.

I've always felt that if you weren't going to pick up the game anyways ROMs are completely legit. There are several titles that I would never had bought if I hadn't played the game for free first. But then again I am the type who will by a game after I have beaten the whole thing and just have the physical copy sit on my shelf unopened.

I was going to give them a spin on ROMs a little while ago, but damn Sony took away PS3 Linux support so I can't play them on my PS3

My views of ROMs are the same as fansubs in anime (which is where I get my code of conduct), which is that I usually try to be supportive to the industries I love, if I really needed the desire to try it first I can always borrow or rent it so ROMs never had much use for me outside of playing titles that will never get here.

My only exception to the rule is if the game/video in question is incredibly rare or discontiuned, or some other issue that makes acquiring a legit copy a serious hit to the bank account. I would own a ROM of Suikoden II for instance but I wouldn't for Suikoden I or V cause I could acquire them easily either through a game store or DLC.

[Del Murder]

I love the DQ games because they are old school. Can't wait until VI and IX come out in the US for DS. Those are the only two I have yet to play.

The games can get boring and require some grinding, but I find them relaxing to play because the gameplay is simple yet effective.

[Wolf Kanno]

I had a big smile on my face when I walked into the Gamestop by my work today, they have posters for DQIX out and I couldn't help but feel a bit excited for it.

[Vermachtnis]

I didn't like VIII all that much. But I loved IV and V. Even when I went back to VIII after playing those two, I couldn't get into it. Dunno why.

[Del Murder]

The only one I couldn't stand was VII. It was way too long to get going and also very hard. This was right when the FF series was going through a revolution of sorts with it's emergence on the PS1 and I expected something similar for the DQ series. This game was not that. VIII was though, that game rocked. It's probably my favorite PS2 game besides Kingdom Hearts.

[I Took the Red Pill]

DragonQuest VIII is one of my favorite RPG's ever. I adore everything about it. I haven't played any of the other ones :aimmeh:

[theundeadhero]

DQ III and IV are fantastic NES games. I enjoy the series.

[Bolivar]

I'm pretty sure aliens abducted me and reprogrammed me to love DQ.

Or I accepted them for what they were . . . which is NOT FF.

I think this is exactly it. I hated when I tried the older games. But when I played DQ VIII, just to get the demo for XII, I really fell in love with the series. It's one of the most beautiful games I've ever played but its as true to a JRPG as you can possibly get. I ended up liking it a lot better than Final Fantasy XII, ironically.

Going back to the older ones after DQVIII, I absolutely love the series. I guess it's true what they say: a spoonfull of sugar makes the medicine go down.

Playing DQV right now and am having a great time.