So we only have a month to go until Dragon Quest IX comes out in America (July 11th) and a little bit longer until it comes out in Europe (July 23rd). And as promised, Nintendo has started their advertising for the game, albeit only in stores and online. But what little advertising it has so far is more than we've seen from SquareEnix in the past 6 years combined. Things are looking up. Hopefully those TV commercials will be coming soon.
What we do know is that Nintendo not only expects the game to sell well outside Japan, but some of the changes to the games design by the Dragon Quest staff were done specifically to help this. Such as the added emphasis on multiplayer questing, lack of random battles and greater focus on customizing your characters. And when you look at the design and structure of Dragon Quest overall, its not hard to see how this seemingly 'Japanese' RPG is easily adapted to become more Western friendly. By design, it is already one of the most western themed RPGs in Japan.
The game features a number of enhancements to the already famous Dragon Quest formula including an expanded Class system, fully customizable characters (including your Hero), fully customizable and crafting gear (that changes your characters apperance), the ability to do quests with people via WiFi, downloadable content and the same 60-100 hour main quest that the Dragon Quest series is known for.
The question now is, how will you react to the game? The title has proven itself as one of the biggest and best on the DS already, but its just taken a year to reach us in the west. Are you willing to give it a chance? Or will this game suffer the same fate as Monster Hunter Tri and only be bought by a handful of 'core' gamers?
Submitted for your approval, an additional item they are releasing along with Dragon Quest IX in America. A Slime Speaker Stand that acts as both a speaker for better sound output of the DS but also an arm rest for extended gaming and a stand for your DS. But this novelty device doesn't come cheap. You'll have to cough up more dough than the game itself at $50.
http://www.ncsx.com/2009/070609/slime_speaker_stand.htm
Six upcoming games you should look into:
