DS #2673: Dragon Quest IV (USA)

JPH · Sep 17, 2008

^^ndsrelease-3659^^

Dylan · Sep 17, 2008

is this supposed to be good? can't remember

Toutatis · Sep 17, 2008

File name : grd-dq4.rar

Dragon_Quest_IV_USA_NDS-GUARDiAN

NFO :

CODE:::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::____________::: __________
:::::___\ /::: _________________________\ ...... /________________.
::::/ /___ ____ _______________ _______: : ________ _______
:::/ /____/ /_| \__\ | _ /_| __ \ :_\ |_\_ \
::/ / / | \ \____ | / _/ | \ :\ /: \____ | _ \
:/ / |__ \ _/ | _ | :/ \: _/ | / /
/_________ / / | |___| |______/ \ | |___/ /
:::::::::/_______/\_________/\________| |______/ : :\________| /____/
::::::::::::::::::::::: __________________________ :....: _________________.
::::::::::::::::::::::: GUARDiAN PROUDLY PRESENTS /________\
_ ____|_________________________________________________________________|____ _
| |
| Dragon Quest IV © Square Enix |
_ __|____ ____ ___ __ _ _ __ ___ ____ ____|__ _
|___//___//__//_//_ . Release Notes . _\\_\\__\\___\\___|
| |
| Region ......: U.S.A. Genre .....: RPG |
| Release Date : 2008-09-17 Store Date : 2008-09-16 |
| System ......: Nintendo DS Filename ..: grd-dq4 |
| Size ........: 1024 MBit Language ..: En, Sp, Fr |
| |
_ __|____ ____ ___ __ _ _ __ ___ ____ ____|__ _
|___//___//__//_//_ . Game iNFO . _\\_\\__\\___\\___|
| |
| A prestigious army captain, an adventurous princess, a |
| humble merchant, two sisters, and you, the hero. Dive |
| into this unique adventure, and discover a grand tale |
| told through the experiences and emotions of characters |
| from all walks of life. |
| |
_ __|____ ____ ___ __ _ _ __ ___ ____ ____|__ _
|___//___//__//_//_ . Greetings . _\\_\\__\\___\\___|
| |
| All groups in the NDS Scene |
_ __|____ ____ ___ __ _ _ __ ___ ____ ____|__ _
\_\ \\ \\ \\ \\ - Serving Since 2008 -- // // // // /_/
\______\\ \\ \\ \\ ________ // // // //______/
\___\\__\\ \\ ______\....../______ // //__//___/
\_\\__\ \ / /_//_/
\______\../______/
\/

granville · Sep 17, 2008

Is there any major difference between this and the European version? I heard they removed party talk for the Euro version, but did they get it back here?

Curley5959 · Sep 17, 2008

Is this http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=104424 The same game as this one, Just in E??

Dylan · Sep 17, 2008

oh wow i didn't know the game had already been released

dib · Sep 17, 2008

Dylan said:
is this supposed to be good? can't remember

Depends how much you like the old NES rpgs.

Problem is, this isn't like Final Fantasy 3 where nothing was ever really wrong with the game. Dragon Warrior games had a lot of things wrong with them. For example:

You can only save at a church in town, and only check your experience either by talking to the king or at the church.

Inventory and equipment management was far outdated even by the standards of its time.

Lots of unnecessary menus and yes/no boxes throughout, which can grind ones' patience beyond tolerance.

The script attempts to spell out accents, which renders futile any sincere attempts to read the incomprehensible gibberish. Not that the story was ever worth reading to begin with.

It's very slow paced, full of grinding, and combat that is as two dimensional as these types of RPGs get: fight, magic, item, or run. Repeat.

No options to increase text speed or skip dialog entirely, further lending to the fact that these games _enjoy_ needlessly burning away seconds of your life at a time, which add up into minutes and then hours.

The Dragon Quest series has always been very 'meh'. They've somehow gotten along all these years without any notable characters, environments, or defining elements (like Final Fantasy and chocobos, for example). Except for slimes. That's their big claim to fame: a little blue Hershey Kiss thing.

Problem is, these are all things that _they kept in this remake_. The one attraction here that they _did_ remake are the graphical qualities, which really aren't very impressive and certainly don't give anybody sufficient reason to revisit this game. They're not like having the old 2D sprites come to life in 3D--they're just a quick polish over the 8bit visuals. And again, all for the sake of a game that wasn't noteworthy even in its heyday.

So if you're the type to suffer jRPGs just because you love grinding random encounters to afford slightly better equipment, then you could do far worse than this game. In fact there have been some brand new titles on the DS that are truly abysmal. Or if you played the original and require a remake as an excuse to play it again. Worse still, there is probably some minority out there actually delusional enough to consider Dragon Quest games past the first one as actually relevant, and would try to claim this is somehow a landmark installment.

Meanwhile, Chrono Trigger is right around the corner. The difference is that CT was a game which represented the best for its system and era, while DQ4 represents mediocrity at its best and banality at its worst. Don't get me wrong--I didn't entirely hate DQ4 the first time around, but things were different back then. Fact is, this is a glossy port of a NES game that has not held up well after so many years, and the developers threw away this opportunity to actually improve upon the mistakes of the past.

incinerator · Sep 17, 2008

Ah, awesome. Can't wait to tear into this game!

Call me crazy or OCD or whatever, but I always prefer to play the US release of games even if the E version comes out first... yeah it's English but... but...

beautifulbeast · Sep 17, 2008

Gret review, dib.

superkris · Sep 17, 2008

Off-Topic but Beautiful Beast your sig is awesome!!!
Just bought the vol. 1-27 complete manga box-set!

Houou · Sep 17, 2008

Wow djb, very nice review/essay there. You certainly put it much better than I ever could

hova1 · Sep 17, 2008

Curley5959 said:
Is this http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=104424 The same game as this one, Just in E??

what the fuck you think? no, it's just called Dragon Quest IV for fun. in reality it's another petz game from UbiSoft

Supert5 · Sep 17, 2008

dib said:
Dylan said:

is this supposed to be good? can't remember

Click to expand...

Depends how much you like the old NES rpgs.

Problem is, this isn't like Final Fantasy 3 where nothing was ever really wrong with the game. Dragon Warrior games had a lot of things wrong with them. For example:

You can only save at a church in town, and only check your experience either by talking to the king or at the church.

Inventory and equipment management was far outdated even by the standards of its time.

Lots of unnecessary menus and yes/no boxes throughout, which can grind ones' patience beyond tolerance.

The script attempts to spell out accents, which renders futile any sincere attempts to read the incomprehensible gibberish. Not that the story was ever worth reading to begin with.

It's very slow paced, full of grinding, and combat that is as two dimensional as these types of RPGs get: fight, magic, item, or run. Repeat.

No options to increase text speed or skip dialog entirely, further lending to the fact that these games _enjoy_ needlessly burning away seconds of your life at a time, which add up into minutes and then hours.

The Dragon Quest series has always been very 'meh'. They've somehow gotten along all these years without any notable characters, environments, or defining elements (like Final Fantasy and chocobos, for example). Except for slimes. That's their big claim to fame: a little blue Hershey Kiss thing.

Problem is, these are all things that _they kept in this remake_. The one attraction here that they _did_ remake are the graphical qualities, which really aren't very impressive and certainly don't give anybody sufficient reason to revisit this game. They're not like having the old 2D sprites come to life in 3D--they're just a quick polish over the 8bit visuals. And again, all for the sake of a game that wasn't noteworthy even in its heyday.

So if you're the type to suffer jRPGs just because you love grinding random encounters to afford slightly better equipment, then you could do far worse than this game. In fact there have been some brand new titles on the DS that are truly abysmal. Or if you played the original and require a remake as an excuse to play it again. Worse still, there is probably some minority out there actually delusional enough to consider Dragon Quest games past the first one as actually relevant, and would try to claim this is somehow a landmark installment.

Meanwhile, Chrono Trigger is right around the corner. The difference is that CT was a game which represented the best for its system and era, while DQ4 represents mediocrity at its best and banality at its worst. Don't get me wrong--I didn't entirely hate DQ4 the first time around, but things were different back then. Fact is, this is a glossy port of a NES game that has not held up well after so many years, and the developers threw away this opportunity to actually improve upon the mistakes of the past.

Buddy have you played the remake? I wouldn't start running your mouth until you did.
1. YOU can change the text speed
2. YOU can do quick save anywhere at anytime.
3. YOU can organize your items quickly and easily (easy sort options)
4. YOU can finish the game under 10-15 hours (I am on chapter 3 and game time is 3 1/2 hours)

For anyone who wants to enjoy a fun adventure, I completely suggest picking it up.

Kamakazie · Sep 17, 2008

hova1 said:
Curley5959 said:

Is this http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=104424 The same game as this one, Just in E??

Click to expand...

what the fuck you think? no, it's just called Dragon Quest IV for fun. in reality it's another petz game from UbiSoft

Take it easy, dude.

HeatMan Advance · Sep 17, 2008

It's an exact copy of the Euro translation. They still spell the words with a "u" where it isn't necessary.

I guess whatever you've experienced in the Euro release you can expect here. Nothing new or different from what I've seen.

masdeeper · Sep 17, 2008

beautifulbeast said:
Gret review, dib.

i hope you were sarcastic ..
this is not a review but he is just flamming the game..
no positive point were mantionned...

the game have lots of positive points

I prefer Final Fantasy series but Drangon Quest IV is still a great game...

FYI I've been playing RPG since the release of Final Fantasty 1

masdeeper · Sep 17, 2008

hova1 said:
Curley5959 said:

Is this http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=104424 The same game as this one, Just in E??

Click to expand...

what the fuck you think? no, it's just called Dragon Quest IV for fun. in reality it's another petz game from UbiSoft

sometime they remove stuff or add stuff...
FYI : square-enix ripped/removed stuff from the JAP release when they ported it to the EU

BlueStar · Sep 17, 2008

HeatMan Advance said:
It's an exact copy of the Euro translation. They still spell the words with a "u" where it isn't necessary.

Well the characters are speaking in English dialects, so the 'u' in colour isn't exactly superfluous seeing as they're trying to give local flavours to the characters. I can understand the dialogue perfectly in the starting towns, although that might come from living near Scotland

Raganook · Sep 17, 2008

Supert5 said:
dib said:

Dylan said:

is this supposed to be good? can't remember

Click to expand...

Depends how much you like the old NES rpgs.

Problem is, this isn't like Final Fantasy 3 where nothing was ever really wrong with the game. Dragon Warrior games had a lot of things wrong with them. For example:

You can only save at a church in town, and only check your experience either by talking to the king or at the church.

Inventory and equipment management was far outdated even by the standards of its time.

Lots of unnecessary menus and yes/no boxes throughout, which can grind ones' patience beyond tolerance.

The script attempts to spell out accents, which renders futile any sincere attempts to read the incomprehensible gibberish. Not that the story was ever worth reading to begin with.

It's very slow paced, full of grinding, and combat that is as two dimensional as these types of RPGs get: fight, magic, item, or run. Repeat.

No options to increase text speed or skip dialog entirely, further lending to the fact that these games _enjoy_ needlessly burning away seconds of your life at a time, which add up into minutes and then hours.

The Dragon Quest series has always been very 'meh'. They've somehow gotten along all these years without any notable characters, environments, or defining elements (like Final Fantasy and chocobos, for example). Except for slimes. That's their big claim to fame: a little blue Hershey Kiss thing.

Problem is, these are all things that _they kept in this remake_. The one attraction here that they _did_ remake are the graphical qualities, which really aren't very impressive and certainly don't give anybody sufficient reason to revisit this game. They're not like having the old 2D sprites come to life in 3D--they're just a quick polish over the 8bit visuals. And again, all for the sake of a game that wasn't noteworthy even in its heyday.

So if you're the type to suffer jRPGs just because you love grinding random encounters to afford slightly better equipment, then you could do far worse than this game. In fact there have been some brand new titles on the DS that are truly abysmal. Or if you played the original and require a remake as an excuse to play it again. Worse still, there is probably some minority out there actually delusional enough to consider Dragon Quest games past the first one as actually relevant, and would try to claim this is somehow a landmark installment.

Meanwhile, Chrono Trigger is right around the corner. The difference is that CT was a game which represented the best for its system and era, while DQ4 represents mediocrity at its best and banality at its worst. Don't get me wrong--I didn't entirely hate DQ4 the first time around, but things were different back then. Fact is, this is a glossy port of a NES game that has not held up well after so many years, and the developers threw away this opportunity to actually improve upon the mistakes of the past.

Click to expand...

Buddy have you played the remake? I wouldn't start running your mouth until you did.
1. YOU can change the text speed
2. YOU can do quick save anywhere at anytime.
3. YOU can organize your items quickly and easily (easy sort options)
4. YOU can finish the game under 10-15 hours (I am on chapter 3 and game time is 3 1/2 hours)

For anyone who wants to enjoy a fun adventure, I completely suggest picking it up.

Just to balance this:

I am a rabid fan of RPG's, but in the DQ world this is my second time playing a title in the series.

Unlike the poster who absolutely hated this game, I am in Chapter 4 and absolutely love it. To be honest I have a lot of trouble putting it down.

First of all, what I think is most important is to realize this is a "hardcore" RPG. Random encounters, grinding to get money to get equipment to get to the next town, just to grind to get money to get equipment. If you don't enjoy these kinds of RPGs, you will hate this game! For those of us who enjoy this traditional approach, it's heaven on earth. It's not as difficult as FFIV (J) or (DS), but it's certainly not a pushover.

The games story is incredibly unique, and in my opinion ahead of it's time. The chaptered storyline keeps things constantly fresh and really allows you to get to know your characters. The fact that this storytelling device is no longer seen in modern times seems to me a tragedy, as it is incredibly effective and compelling. As far as depth goes, this was of course an NES title. There is perceived depth due to the player wondering how the paths of the various characters will ultimately intersect, and minor cliffhangers here and there. The game certainly is not devoid of story, but we aren't talking something deep and thought provoking. The story is purposely designed to be fun and sometimes silly.

I haven't had any problems with the save system, as there are plenty of save points. You can also quicksave. One of the most beautiful things about this game that I just love is that "Game Over" does not mean "Lost Progress". Dying halves your gold and warps you back to the nearest church, but your items and levels are intact. As the above poster said, inventory management is archaic (as is the game of course), however this isn't Diablo. You won't be constantly finding the need to manage things. As a matter of fact, thus far I have maybe only twice needed to move an item to make room for a new one.

Most importantly: what this game lacks in depth it makes back in charm. Enemies are very nicely detailed and the fluidity of their animations are really amazing. Slimes roll right up to the screen, snakes curl back and bite you. Random encounters in most RPGs are easily forgettable, save a select few. The enemies in DQIV are given a lot of attention and detail and it really shines for it. My favorite part of the game is playing as a Weapon Shop clerk, selling your wares to the various customer who come in. It's clever, it's enjoyable, and it's something that makes it unique from other RPG's.

This is not my favorite RPG, or even my favorite RPG on the DS. However, I find it incredibly fun and it has proven to be enjoyable enough an affair that I plan on playing more DQ games in the future. If traditional RPGs are your style, or if you would like to experience one, I highly recommend it.

cutterjohn · Sep 17, 2008

Oddly enough I found the Japanese version of "russian" "accenting" in text to be superior to what I saw in the European/US release...

The "scottish" "accent" looked pretty much the same as the Japanese "translation" IIRC.

IIRC the additional vowels in various US English spelling is optional, although it's seldom used in the US. Canada is pretty much the same way, although "official" type of documents tend to follow the England English spellings.

DS #2673: Dragon Quest IV (USA)

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