Dragon Quest 4 $17, Dragon Quest V $20 Amazon

As someone who has never played a Dragon Quest game before, which of the DS titles is the better buy here? DQ9 always interested me but there are many DQ titles to choose from for the DS. Or is my question similar to asking what's the best Final Fantasy game?
 
DQV is your best introduction to the series, hands down. Great story and characters, little confusion about where to go and what you're supposed to be doing, awesome sprite animations and the combat is fast even though it's based on random encounters. It gets a bit murkier from there. Everyone has a different recommended order and for different reasons. My order is:

I would say go V (and if you like it) -> IV -> VI and if you like those three, then try VIII. If you're still in love at this point, play I -> II -> III (play the translated SNES remakes of all 3) -> IX -> VII. II is the weakest mainline game in the series, VII is the slowest paced and most overall time intensive unless you're planning on getting 100% in IX.

If you play V and DON'T like it, then at least give Rocket Slime a chance. If V and/or Rocket Slime aren't enough to hook you, then you're probably not going to like the series in general.
 
Damn, I'm feeling silly for jumping on the $39.99 reprint of DQ5 a few months back. Oh well! I'm still working my way through DQ4.
 
I would say to start with 4 instead of 5, but really either one is a great starting place. They're all self-contained stories with occasional nods, so you're not missing too much if you jump around in order.
 
[quote name='cochesecochese']DQV is your best introduction to the series, hands down. Great story and characters, little confusion about where to go and what you're supposed to be doing, awesome sprite animations and the combat is fast even though it's based on random encounters. It gets a bit murkier from there. Everyone has a different recommended order and for different reasons. My order is:

I would say go V (and if you like it) -> IV -> VI and if you like those three, then try VIII. If you're still in love at this point, play I -> II -> III (play the translated SNES remakes of all 3) -> IX -> VII. II is the weakest mainline game in the series, VII is the slowest paced and most overall time intensive unless you're planning on getting 100% in IX.

If you play V and DON'T like it, then at least give Rocket Slime a chance. If V and/or Rocket Slime aren't enough to hook you, then you're probably not going to like the series in general.[/QUOTE]

Wow. This is one of the most helpful, nice replies I've seen on the interwebz.
 
[quote name='smellmybutt']As someone who has never played a Dragon Quest game before, which of the DS titles is the better buy here? DQ9 always interested me but there are many DQ titles to choose from for the DS. Or is my question similar to asking what's the best Final Fantasy game?[/QUOTE]

[quote name='cochesecochese']DQV is your best introduction to the series, hands down. Great story and characters, little confusion about where to go and what you're supposed to be doing, awesome sprite animations and the combat is fast even though it's based on random encounters. It gets a bit murkier from there. Everyone has a different recommended order and for different reasons. My order is:

I would say go V (and if you like it) -> IV -> VI and if you like those three, then try VIII. If you're still in love at this point, play I -> II -> III (play the translated SNES remakes of all 3) -> IX -> VII. II is the weakest mainline game in the series, VII is the slowest paced and most overall time intensive unless you're planning on getting 100% in IX.

If you play V and DON'T like it, then at least give Rocket Slime a chance. If V and/or Rocket Slime aren't enough to hook you, then you're probably not going to like the series in general.[/QUOTE]

I'd disagree a little bit. 8 very well may be the best introduction to the series, because it's like a halfway point between every other JRPG and Dragon Quest. However, if it's between 4 and 5, I'd actually say 4 is my favorite of the two. It's all personal preference, though, and I'm a guy who loves this whole series.
 
8 is really not a good introduction to the series. It's a mediocre J-RPG that gained interest solely because of its name. Level 5 did far better with Rogue Galaxy.

Now, 4 and 5 were great entries. 4 is probably the best, but 5 does a good job too. 9 is... Well, just avoid 9.


Edit: 4/5/6 are technically part of the same series. But you won't miss anything by skipping around the games. Dragon Quest is not lauded for its plot.
 
[quote name='SteevL']Damn, I'm feeling silly for jumping on the $39.99 reprint of DQ5 a few months back. Oh well! I'm still working my way through DQ4.[/QUOTE]
Hah, don't blame you. Fortunately (for me, at least) DQV is one of those rare games worth paying the Square Enix Tax for :)
 
4 is great because of the way it tells it's story, but the last chapter is inconsistent. Great game though despite that.

5 is known to have the best story of the series and characters you really get attached to.
 
IMHO would skip these and buy DQ9.

They are all good games. All of them. Those who have been with the series for a while aren't too fond of DQ9 as it strays from what has gone before. Other previous and recent DQ game releases are enhanced reprints for new platforms, but don't change or modernize the core game mechanics.

DQ9 is a good, strong, stand alone title. It has loads more content, and if you have the chance to do multiplayer, it stands head and shoulders above the rest for what it offers the player, as these other games do not offer the enhanced multiplayer and internet functionality available in DQ9.

Its all up to individual tastes. If you like long mutli-game story arcs, you can't beat 4, 5, and 6, but if you want a core game that you will return to for a long time DQ9 offers more.
 
[quote name='blueshinra']Hah, don't blame you. Fortunately (for me, at least) DQV is one of those rare games worth paying the Square Enix Tax for :)[/QUOTE]

Let's not talk about how much I paid on ebay for a sealed copy of V shortly before it became available from Amazon. This was back when people were talking of how hard it was to get........:cry:
 
[quote name='CGlade']Wow. This is one of the most helpful, nice replies I've seen on the interwebz.[/QUOTE]

*bow*

[quote name='HaLLuZiNaTiOnZ']IV, V and VI are part of an overlapping story correct?

I got IV and V, so I'm just waiting for VI to drop in price then I'll have the whole DS set.[/QUOTE]

Yes. IV, V and VI are collectively known as the Zenithian trilogy. However they are only related in the loosest definition of the term. Think along the lines of shared items and a very, very distant shared mythology but the stories don't really connect to each other.
 
I haven't played VI yet, but I really dug IV and V. I haven't finished V for various reasons but it is jam-packed with all sorts of excellent gameplay. I'd say most of the reviews of V for the DS you find will explain why it's good much better than I can.

I have finished IV, though. I really, really love that game. You may find people who malign the localization of it but in my opinion that's one of the best localization jobs I've ever seen in a game. The team really captured not just the accents of various cultures but those neat, idiosyncrasies that give everyone colorful, textured dialog. I've worked with people from all over the world and have traveled a lot and I'd say that the accents and dialog that was localized is charming and respective.

The base game is a lot of fun, too. It's more straightforward than V (that had monsters you could recruit and other extras), but don't take straightforwardness to mean dull or without flair. IV has a wonderful spirit to it and I was gripped all the way through to the last boss (who was a doozy, but ultimately a thrilling and incredibly well-animated battle to say the least).

Rocket Slime is more of an action adventure but man, it is a GREAT one. There's also the Dragon Quest Wars game available on DSiWare which is also good. It looks simple, but the battle mechanics ultimately offer a subtle depth that's surprising and easy to understand. Both recommended!
 
Couldn't resist picking up both, thank you for posting OP. Now, to actually get through the PS2 SMT games to clear up some of my RPG backlog!
 
[quote name='NeoGutsman']I have finished IV, though. I really, really love that game. You may find people who malign the localization of it but in my opinion that's one of the best localization jobs I've ever seen in a game. The team really captured not just the accents of various cultures but those neat, idiosyncrasies that give everyone colorful, textured dialog. I've worked with people from all over the world and have traveled a lot and I'd say that the accents and dialog that was localized is charming and respective.[/QUOTE]

My favorite part of the localization, honestly, was that they respected both the original Japanese text and the original American translation. For instance, there was a character named Torneko in the Famicom version, who was renamed Taloon in the NES version. He ended up becoming a popular character, and when Enix brought over his spinoff, the character was named Torneko over here, too. To reconcile this, our version of DQ4 for the DS calls him Torneko Taloon. Same with the character called Ryan in the Japanese version and Ragnar over here: he's now called Ragnar McRyan.

At the end of the day, I'd say since these are deals of the week, anyone who likes JRPGs more for the gameplay than the story and visuals should jump on both.
 
[quote name='Blaster man']I got a couple of these at Sears for 6 bucks each.[/QUOTE]

Thank you! I just found one at my Sears for this. To think I stopped checking the Sears thread.
 
[quote name='cochesecochese']DQV is your best introduction to the series, hands down. Great story and characters, little confusion about where to go and what you're supposed to be doing, awesome sprite animations and the combat is fast even though it's based on random encounters. It gets a bit murkier from there. Everyone has a different recommended order and for different reasons.

If you play V and DON'T like it, then at least give Rocket Slime a chance. If V and/or Rocket Slime aren't enough to hook you, then you're probably not going to like the series in general.[/QUOTE]

I pretty much second this assessment. DQV (aside from great story and characters) is a very lean and efficient SNES RPG. No filler. I'm playing it now after playing Rocket Slime and DQIX and wish I did DQV before DQIX. DQIX while very beautiful and without random battles actually felt pretty overwhelming in terms of sheer post game content. A lot of you need ____ to get _____ which must be alchemized with ____, ____, and ____. All of which of course, can be remedied with tons and tons of grinding. Although you can ignore the post game, you really get the most from DQIX from hundreds of hours of playtime.
 
DQIX was a good game to play, but it's forgettable. The battles choreography is best in the series. I love the graphical representation on equipment. And it is nice seeing enemies.

But, Dragon quest V is a great game. I wish more rpgs were built around a great story.
 
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