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[tryptobphan]

Do we know this for sure? I think we overestimate how many were willing to pay for a full priced game for a demo. Oh well.

King Trode's voice acting.. I'm not sure if it's so over the top that it's good or if it's actually one of the GOAT performances. Either way that dude has me hooked on every spoken line.

Regardless if it's true or not, I was one of the people who bought Dragon Quest 8 just for the FF12 demo. But...

...honestly, I thought Dragon Quest 7 (Warrior 7 in the US at that time actually) sucked when I played it on the PS1. I remember buying DQ7 because I heard Japan loved Dragon Quest and was curious about the series. I thought DQ7 was one of the worst RPG's I had ever played back in 2000/2001.

I remember a year after I played the FF12 demo, I finally played DQ8 and it easily became one of my favorite games ever. It made me appreciate all the other games in the series when I went back and played them all, including DQ7.

So both are great games. Just depends on the timing and gamer's mood. Both are different but amazing in their own ways.

 

[Bitanator]

Tell me you have almost equal love for Steiner and we can be best friends

My reaction to anyone who does not

 

[Lightning Lord]

Hey now, DQ VII and DQ VIII are both great games. :x

This blurry text is driving me nuts.

Yeah, I'd argue there is no such thing as a truly bad DQ game... just some that are better than others. I'd easily put 7 and 8 both in my top 5, however.

Also, haven't started it yet (received my copy) since I'm still playing VII, but this news about blurry text is a real downer to hear. :/

 

[Rizzi]

I have a New 3DS XL, so I'm not sure if it's blurry on the regular sized 3DS.

 

[tryptobphan]

Yeah, I'd argue there is no such thing as a truly bad DQ game... just some that are better than others. I'd easily put 7 and 8 both in my top 5, however.

Also, haven't started it yet (received my copy) since I'm still playing VII, but this news about blurry text is a real downer to hear. :/

If you have an XL, it'll be blurry. But if you use a regular or New Nintendo 3DS, not XL, then it'll be fine, though it won't be as sharp as most other games.

 

[Diablos54]

Dunno how im going to handle this, pokemon and xenoblade all at once, it's too much! Only played the first 5 minutes or so but it's just as i remember...

 

[Anoxida]

The blurry text seems a bit blown out of proportion. It has a bigger font than most games so you notice it a bit more.


This version has rekindled my love for this game. It's truly a masterpiece of the genre. If there are lurkers in this thread on the fence, do yourselves a favor and buy it. You won't regret it.

 

[Lightning Lord]

If you have an XL, it'll be blurry. But if you use a regular or New Nintendo 3DS, not XL, then it'll be fine, though it won't be as sharp as most other games.

I have an XL. :/

Hopefully it won't be too big of a deal for me...

 

[tryptobphan]

I have an XL. :/

Hopefully it won't be too big of a deal for me...

I absolutely love this game and most DQ games...so I'd say you should give it a shot anyways. But honestly, it could be a big problem for you depending on your tolerance. Let's see if anyone else can post a picture of their XL system and DQ8?

I'll also add that I came into this game with lower expectations because I think it absolutely deserves better treatment such as being remastered on the PS4 or Vita for portability and better graphics.

However, I am impressed with the new additions to the game despite the lowered graphics and slightly blurry text on the New Nintendo 3DS. So your mileage may vary.

 

[Hobbun]

I absolutely love this game and most DQ games...so I'd say you should give it a shot anyways. But honestly, it could be a big problem for you depending on your tolerance. Let's see if anyone else can post a picture of their XL system and DQ8?

I'd be interested to see any pictures specificially for the XL, as well. As that is what I have, also.

 

[itschris]

Here, I took some pictures of DQ8 on my New 3DS XL (click to expand):

I definitely noticed the blur at first, but it didn't take me long to get used to it. I actually think I prefer it to the DQ7 dialogue font.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

My amazon order hasn't even shipped out yet. Wonder if I'd have had it by now if I had ordered it online via BestBuy instead. :/

 

[Hobbun]

Here, I took some pictures of DQ8 on my New 3DS XL (click to expand):



I definitely noticed the blur at first, but it didn't take me long to get used to it. I actually think I prefer it to the DQ7 dialogue font.

That doesn't look bad at all. Of course if you expand it, it will look really blurry, but then you aren't playing the game with your face plastered to the system.

Looks fine to me.

 

[Bitanator]

Here, I took some pictures of DQ8 on my New 3DS XL (click to expand):



I definitely noticed the blur at first, but it didn't take me long to get used to it. I actually think I prefer it to the DQ7 dialogue font.

I can deal with that

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

The text looks blurry, but I think it's because of the inner shading on the characters. I don't know if it's purposeful or a result of poor scaling, though.

 

[enigmatic_alex44]

So what's the general consensus on VIII (by the fans)?

Is this considered the best and most beloved Dragon Quest? Is DQVIII the FFVII of the DQ series in terms of popularity and sales?

I know VIII is my personal favorite, it's the only one I ever finished (one of my fave PS2 games) despite picking each of them up and I'm really excited to start this version tonight.

 

[tryptobphan]

Here, I took some pictures of DQ8 on my New 3DS XL (click to expand):



I definitely noticed the blur at first, but it didn't take me long to get used to it. I actually think I prefer it to the DQ7 dialogue font.

Awesome, that was so quick. Yeah, it doesn't look too bad. I still notice the slight blurriness on my New Nintendo 3DS compared to other games, even DQ7. But easily readable and playable.

 

[tryptobphan]

So what's the general consensus on VIII (by the fans)?

Is this considered the best and most beloved Dragon Quest? Is DQVIII the FFVII of the DQ series in terms of popularity and sales?

I know VIII is my personal favorite, it's the only one I ever finished (one of my fave PS2 games) despite picking each of them up and I'm really excited to start this version tonight.

Dang, that's a hard one. I absolutely enjoyed my time with Dragon Quest 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9 the most. They're all amazing in their own right. But if I had to choose, then Dragon Quest 8 tops out the rest.

 

[Reluctant-Hero]

Awesome. Picked up a copy at Gamestop with a $15 off certificate and cancelled my Amazon order that hadn't even begun to process.

 

[Inxes]

To anyone who has already played it, do Morrie and Ruby feel forced? I remember the plot being perfect as it was, is it better now, same, worse or are they completely irrelevant?

 

[Lightning Lord]

Here, I took some pictures of DQ8 on my New 3DS XL (click to expand):



I definitely noticed the blur at first, but it didn't take me long to get used to it. I actually think I prefer it to the DQ7 dialogue font.

That honestly doesn't look too bad. Like you said, I can see myself adjusting to it.

I was imagining something like Ace Attorney Trilogy's font which is quite noticeably blurry with the 3D turned off.

 

[Emitan]

To anyone who has already played it, do Morrie and Ruby feel forced? I remember the plot being perfect as it was, is it better now, same, worse or are they completely irrelevant?

I think Morrie is completely optional so I doubt he's integrated into the plot very much.

 

[Linkura]

So what's the general consensus on VIII (by the fans)?

Is this considered the best and most beloved Dragon Quest? Is DQVIII the FFVII of the DQ series in terms of popularity and sales?

I know VIII is my personal favorite, it's the only one I ever finished (one of my fave PS2 games) despite picking each of them up and I'm really excited to start this version tonight.

No.

That would be III, IV, or V depending on who you ask.

 

[BriGuy]

I loved this on the PS2, but I dunno. There's so much coming out soon. Are the battles significantly faster than before? Is there less grinding now? If I do jump in, I need things to be expedited a bit because otherwise it's going to fall by the wayside.

 

[Rizzi]

No.

That would be III, IV, or V depending on who you ask.

I still have to beat V.
My favourite is VIII though!

 

[DeVeAn]

No super saiyan hair in this version?

I love this game and new content seems great. The audio and visual downgrade is a huge turn off though.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

No.

That would be III, IV, or V depending on who you ask.

8 is absolutely up there.
3, 5, and 8 top almost every list of DQ games.

 

[Erin S Kittens]

I like the odd-numbered DQs best.

 

[tryptobphan]

I loved this on the PS2, but I dunno. There's so much coming out soon. Are the battles significantly faster than before? Is there less grinding now? If I do jump in, I need things to be expedited a bit because otherwise it's going to fall by the wayside.

It's actually much faster, I was surprised. What usually takes me 5 hours to get to a certain point in the game to get another party member, took me only a little over 2 hours this time. Added to the speed of the battles are the new treasure chests which provide items and gold that help you get started and purchase helpful armor/weapons earlier.

I'm basically playing this game in lieu of Yakuza 0, Gravity Rush 2, and Resident Evil 7, which I have but are all waiting on this game.

No super saiyan hair in this version?

I love this game and new content seems great. The audio and visual downgrade is a huge turn off though.

I think the Super Saiyan hair doesn't come until Tension 100, which happens later in the game. I think you can only get Tension 50 up until a certain point in the game. It's been a few years since I played this game, so if I'm wrong, hopefully someone corrects me.

 

[inner-G]

Here, I took some pictures of DQ8 on my New 3DS XL (click to expand):



I definitely noticed the blur at first, but it didn't take me long to get used to it. I actually think I prefer it to the DQ7 dialogue font.

There's no getting around it on such a low-resolution display

The serif font does make reading pretty easy compared to a lot of games though, despite the 'blur'

 

[Man God]

Nope, I got SSJ tension at level 6. All you need to do is keep going to 50 tension until it stops saying you've reached high tension and then go for it one more time.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

I demand Yangus be added as a marriage option.

 

[tryptobphan]

Nope, I got SSJ tension at level 6. All you need to do is keep going to 50 tension until it stops saying you've reached high tension and then go for it one more time.

Huh, good to know. I've just been putting everything on Tactics/AI mode so I haven't had a chance to use the tension command yet. I'm at level 12... This game is way easier than the PS2 version, haha.

I demand Yangus be added as a marriage option.

I'd rather have him as an option as Best Man and have Valentina be a marriage option.

 

[Teriyaki Blues]

The OP states that the free downloads are weekly but I'm seeing other places saying they're daily. Anyone have a link to official info about this?

I'm interested in finding this out too. Or even when they're going to start offering items. I know they probably don't want to throw us a powerful weapon too early, but while I'm progressing at a slacker pace (for me), I feel like I won't get much use out of the items unless they're Alchemy ingredients or things like that.

The Cameron's Codex has given me two powerful weapons that I wouldn't normally have been able to obtain by now, so that's very worth doing as you go. A new set of entries seem to trigger every time you enter a new town.

 

[Linkura]

8 is absolutely up there.
3, 5, and 8 top almost every list of DQ games.

I dunno, I guess I am talking about in general including Japanese fans, not just NA. IV is absolutely one of the most popular. But yeah, I'd say VIII after III, IV, and V in terms of worldwide popularity. It is a great game for sure. Overall the quality of DQ games is much more stable from game to game compared to FF.

 

[LeonSPBR]

Doing the Cameron Codex is really fun. And It gives awesome rewards.

 

[Aeana]

I'm sorry, but shit like "talk to everyone in the town to proceed" as a mechanic in a 2016 RPG is unacceptable. Then there's stuff like the awful shard collecting, spending half the game with only three party members, waiting 20+ hours to get to the job system, spendng 150 battles to master a job, etc.

You have to talk to people in Dragon Quest games. You aren't going to escape that in any game in the series, not even in 8. There's nothing "archaic" about talking to NPCs. That's kind of absurd to even suggest. If you don't like it, cool, but you should at least take responsibility for your own tastes.

 

[jackal27]

The bestiary and the equipment screen are 3D enabled, but that's it, I think.



Are you referring to the pictures of items and equipment? They're still present in the Equipment screen, the Collected Items List under Battle Records, and when you look at your items during battle.

Aw man that sucks. I wish reviewers would talk abut this more, because I must have missed it. Really enjoy VII's 3D.

 

[Aeana]

Do we know this for sure? I think we overestimate how many were willing to pay for a full priced game for a demo. Oh well.

King Trode's voice acting.. I'm not sure if it's so over the top that it's good or if it's actually one of the GOAT performances. Either way that dude has me hooked on every spoken line.

We know for sure that the FF12 demo was not a major factor because it was not included with the game in Europe and DQ8 actually sold slightly better in Europe than it did in NA.

 

[jackal27]

Here, I took some pictures of DQ8 on my New 3DS XL (click to expand):



I definitely noticed the blur at first, but it didn't take me long to get used to it. I actually think I prefer it to the DQ7 dialogue font.

The text is bothering me personally. I prefer DQ7's. The battle text is bugging me too because all the capital letters appear to be boldened?

Weren't you kept in the dark about the horse and Trode in the original? I felt like the party just kept giving him the "Sure, dude" attitude up until near the end (if not the end) of the game. That trailer spells it out from the get-go.

Edit: Forgot all about Charmles, he always made me laugh for some reason.

Nope. As far as I can rememeber, they reveal that in the opening cut scene.

 

[ShdwDrake]

Anyone playing on 2DS I love, LOVE DQ8 I had a 3ds a long time ago and my phone doesn't run the game fast enough for me.

Tbh the only thing I would play on the 2Ds would be DQ8. I might grab the FE games tho loved Path of Radiance and the GBA FE's.

 

[Adam Prime]

The blurry text seems a bit blown out of proportion. It has a bigger font than most games so you notice it a bit more.


This version has rekindled my love for this game. It's truly a masterpiece of the genre. If there are lurkers in this thread on the fence, do yourselves a favor and buy it. You won't regret it.

I woke up this morning with no intention of buying this game. Today, I did. Because this thread.

Thanks GAF. Don't let me down now.

 

[Lord of Ostia]

So what's the general consensus on VIII (by the fans)?

Is this considered the best and most beloved Dragon Quest? Is DQVIII the FFVII of the DQ series in terms of popularity and sales?

I know VIII is my personal favorite, it's the only one I ever finished (one of my fave PS2 games) despite picking each of them up and I'm really excited to start this version tonight.

Asking Western DQ fans this question is gonna give you skewed result S considering when the games released here and one what systems. DQVII is the most technically impressive one with the highest production values, and it has a good over-arching story and characters, so yeah I'd say it a probably the most popular. DQ V would be the other one people would suggest.

 

[ScientificPizza]

So what's the general consensus on VIII (by the fans)?

Is this considered the best and most beloved Dragon Quest? Is DQVIII the FFVII of the DQ series in terms of popularity and sales?

I know VIII is my personal favorite, it's the only one I ever finished (one of my fave PS2 games) despite picking each of them up and I'm really excited to start this version tonight.

it's more final fantasy vii than not

it's still an incredible game, but far from the best in the series. it helped that it was the first square enix dragon quest, so it got marketed and pushed a lot better than the previous games in the west

on the spectrum of best to worst dragon quest games it's a lot closer to best, though

 

[Deleted member 20920]

You have to talk to people in Dragon Quest games. You aren't going to escape that in any game in the series, not even in 8. There's nothing "archaic" about talking to NPCs. That's kind of absurd to even suggest. If you don't like it, cool, but you should at least take responsibility for your own tastes.

Better having to talk to people for quest progression than simply following waypoints marked on a map like so many "more modern" RPGs.

I really don't know how anyone could think "talking to NPCs" is archaic...

 

[ameleco]

Are the skills you put into set in stone or can you change them? I never played the original. Also still wanting a good list of missables? I see people mentioning them here and there but not a solid spreadsheet.

Looks like you couldn't in the original but maybe in the 3ds version you can? They appear to have changed some stuff afterall

Last edit: if you can't change skills, is the gamefaqs sticky about skills good? Can I just follow the first build in each list and go from there or should I follow the faq? I don't really care about best, but I want something versatile and able to level with metal slimes

 

[Diablos54]

We know for sure that the FF12 demo was not a major factor because it was not included with the game in Europe and DQ8 actually sold slightly better in Europe than it did in NA.

The demo was included? Unless that was just for the U.K? I remember because that's the only reason i originally brought the game!

 

[_Ryo_]

After taking a break from DQVIII I played the FFXII demo for first time in December. It seemed extremely sparse, even for a demo.

Anyway... I still have got some post game stuff to do in DQVIII (PS2)

Are we allowed to discuss that version here even if we don't own it on 3DS? Lol probably not...

 

[Aeana]

The demo was included? Unless that was just for the U.K? I remember because that's the only reason i originally brought the game!

I bought the PAL version for collection's sake and it was not included.

The DQ wikia also says the same: http://dragonquest.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Quest_VIII
"Unlike the North American version, the European version does not contain a Final Fantasy XII demo."

Perhaps this is just for non-UK versions, I don't know. I have no idea which country my copy of the game ended up coming from. It's English and it says 12+ on the cover where the rating goes.

 

[DeVeAn]

Nope, I got SSJ tension at level 6. All you need to do is keep going to 50 tension until it stops saying you've reached high tension and then go for it one more time.

Does the Hero get spiked hair? The trailer shows otherwise.