Dragon Quest VIII
a running commentary by Scott

Tuesday, January 24^th, 2006 For anyone looking for a FAQ on Dragon Quest VIII, we've been lucky enough to get permission to use this one. Thanks to the Author Alex. As for the review, it follows below.

Developer	Level 5
Designer/Creator	Yuji Horii
Character Designer	Akira Toriyama

After spending a few hours with the recently released Dragon Quest VIII, I've realized it's too good of a game to ignore. However, considering it's such a long game, I would hate to wait until I finished it before I put together a review (a delay which would be painfully pronounced by my limited play time). As a result, I'll be using this space to do a running commentary and review on the game as I progress through it. I hope you enjoy it.

One problem with this style of review resides in, after only a few hours of play time, my inability to accurately guage what you find in a "typical" review. As a result, I'll start off with the most superficial aspect of any game:

The Graphics
The most impressive aspect of the visuals in this game is not high resolutions, clever character design and art direction, or even the jaw-dropping draw distance when in the overworld. Instead, it's the seamlessness with which all of these aspects are brought together. For example, the main character has a flowing cape, a sword on his back (or a boomerang - it changes depending on the weapon equipped) and a bandana on his head.

Surprisingly, these items never interfere with each other. You don't suddenly see the sword sticking out of his head or through some fellow party member's leg. There is no clipping when you run near a table, or another character. Plus, when characters are interacting with the environment or in dialogue sequences they don't simply repeat the same stock motion over and over again. No, they actually react (gasp!) to what's going on around them. Combine this insane level of polish with a lack of load times and you have the most immersive, consistently impressive graphics I've seen this year on the ps2.

Gameplay
After nearly 50 hours of playing the game now, I think it's finally safe to say that I can comment on the gameplay. The most impressive thing I can say about the gameplay is that the game is yet to become boring or tedious. It does an amazing job of, just when something is on the verge of becoming redundant, giving you a tool to overcome it. For example: While the game does encourage, and sometimes even require back tracking to the cities you have previously visited, early on the player gains access to a spell that allows you to warp to any previously visited city in the game (in addition to certain dungeons and other key locations). In the end, it is features such as this that maintain the fun of the game. After all, the point of the game is to be fun isn't it? Playing games isn't supposed to feel like work and the developers seem to be aware of this.

Combat evolves similarly to travel. As enemies become more difficult, the player gains greater strategic tools by which to defeat them. The result? Developing better strategies allows these harder enemies to be defeated as quickly as easier enemies. This is great because it keeps combat fast-paced while still providing significant challenge. Speaking of challenge, this is a hard game, and it's great. I love the feeling that I've actually accomplished something after finally putting a tough boss to rest or a notoriuos monster that was far above my level.

Story
I've heard a few complaints about the story for Dragon Quest VIII. Most of them claim that it's a "bland" story that's been done in every other RPG throughout the history of time. Though it might not be the most innovative story in the history of video games, the quality with which it is executed makes it very difficult to mark this down as a negative. From the superb voice acting to the witty dialogue the developers have left nothing for the player to complain about. Sure, maybe we've all played a game where you have to track down the evil bad guy in order to save the world and lift the terrible curse from the beautiful princess, but I guarantee, that you haven't played a game that executes this story so flawlessly, or that's backed with such addictive, engaging gameplay and top notch graphics.

Ultimately, the mileage you will get out of Dragon Quest VIII really comes down to what you are looking for in a game. Are you in the mood for the most innovative, wildly different game you've ever played? Or are you looking for the ultimate experience from well-established, classic gameplay styles? Because Dragon Quest VIII offers a highly-polished, engaging, visually attractive, and sophisticated gameplay experience. Without a doubt, it tops the list of RPGs? of the year, and is a must buy for all fans of the classic Japanese RPG.

(Just in case you missed it above - we now have a Dragon Quest VIII FAQ available on the site)

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