bosh
HRG Enthusiast
Posts: 207
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Post by bosh on Dec 26, 2022 3:08:24 GMT -5
Busy last few days with the holidays (also Merry Christmas to those that celebrate!). Got the mirror to reveal monster at castle.
Only caught a few monsters so far, in general the catching rate seems low (which is fine). The snowman looking character Sassy has a move that mostly can cause characters to miss a turn as they are scared.
Playing in short burst has worked pretty well so far. 30 minute session here and there and has added up to 10 hours quickly.
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Post by Xeogred on Dec 26, 2022 9:49:16 GMT -5
If you haven't, I think a HealSlime / CureSlime would be one of the best ones to get ASAP. I remember a Tomato-thing being really good at times... or maybe it was like a mushroom enemy. It was something pretty goofy like that.
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bosh
HRG Enthusiast
Posts: 207
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Post by bosh on Dec 26, 2022 12:51:50 GMT -5
If you haven't, I think a HealSlime / CureSlime would be one of the best ones to get ASAP. I remember a Tomato-thing being really good at times... or maybe it was like a mushroom enemy. It was something pretty goofy like that. I will prioritize that, thank you!
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Post by Xeogred on Dec 26, 2022 13:54:06 GMT -5
If you haven't, I think a HealSlime / CureSlime would be one of the best ones to get ASAP. I remember a Tomato-thing being really good at times... or maybe it was like a mushroom enemy. It was something pretty goofy like that. I will prioritize that, thank you! Ultimately it's up to you, sky is the limit here. I just know the Hero is usually pretty bare bones at the start of most DQ's and might need some supplemental help.
Mid to end game though, the Hero is usually pretty freaking good in DQ's. It's kind of like their own unique specialty class and they can usually do a lot. I dig that a lot about the series.
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Post by Xeogred on Dec 26, 2022 23:19:02 GMT -5
Unless there's any objections, I'll talk about DQ11 here too. Sunk a nice 3 hours into it today, enough to get the first companion. When all the DQ's start getting even better.
So far it's nothing but positives for me. I am going in comparing it kind of a lot to DQ8. Just because these are the two AAA 3D installments with a similar aesthetic. Things are streamlined quite a bit but I am still super early, after the initial two hours, the intro kicked in like that was just the designated prologue/tutorial section haha.
- For once I'm playing in English too. I usually prefer Japanese audio when available, but the British styled dub of DQ8 fit the world nicely and it feels right with this too.
- There are two camera options for battles. One lets you freely move the camera around and characters too, but I'm pretty sure I've read the positioning is pointless. I've got it set to "Classic" for now, the camera just auto switches to whoever acts next.
- Three battle speeds. I know DQ now, so I'm cruising on Fast. But that's the middle option, there's "Ultra Fast" after that haha. Guess grinding won't be an issue down the road.
- Monsters are visibly on the field now, an interesting change. They are plenty and respawn at a good rate, so you're never going too long without fighting if necessary. I like how the maps have a section for "Monsters in this Area", so it'll be a fun goal to make sure I fight all the new monsters per area at least once. The day/night cycle is still around which can change up the mobs and enemy types too though. I also like how it seriously almost looks like a 1 to 1 now in regard to running into a monster, battle loads, and it looks like you're in the same exact spot where you ran into them on the field. I think DQ8 kind of made that an illusion, a good one at that. But it's cool to see the subtle upgrade in more seamless accuracy here.
- Feels like I've had maps of every area so far, which is one of the weirder changes. But there's been a brief cave or two that wasn't charted out. I kind of like working up to the map or exploring uncharted territory. So not sure how I feel about this so far...
- The skill/ability system seems similar to DQ8. Only this time you can thankfully just go to a menu to see the skill tree and how many SP points you need for the next skills, etc. No more warping to an NPC to get all that info one character at a time and jotting that stuff down.
- One thing DQ does better than a lot of other JRPG's to me, they tend to make exploring and talking around towns just as fun as the dungeon crawling. Absolutely loved that about DQ8 too and so far that's true here as well for me. Really cool towns and cozy vibes so far. Now you can jump and get on rooftops for some items.
- You can switch to the synthesized score (why? lol) and for the overworld theme, switch it to DQ8's for whatever reason. I like DQ8's way more so far, but it feels weird here and I want this to be its own thing, so I'm sticking with DQ11's theme. I'm sure it'll grow on me. The orchestrated music is amazing as expected.
So far, seems great and in my experience, DQ's tend to get even better as they go. Excited to keep playing more.
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Post by Sarge on Dec 27, 2022 1:38:15 GMT -5
I wouldn't cross the streams, keep the longer discussions over on the modern side. Figure that's what Ex would say.
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bosh
HRG Enthusiast
Posts: 207
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Post by bosh on Dec 27, 2022 2:03:51 GMT -5
Made it a little farther today. Got both the rings and made the choice for partner.
No cure slime yet although the yeti like character has made this game fairly easy so far. Cast roar every turn with them and a majority of enemies miss a turn in fear.
Overall though enjoying the game so far and definitely more interested now in the series which is a net plus
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Post by Moulinoski on Dec 27, 2022 7:56:40 GMT -5
This conversation started in the “recently beaten” thread but it’s exclusively about Dragon Quest so I’m moving it here instead. <snip about Ys> Also, I second starting with Dragon Quest XI (S). It’s the most modern, hence the most east to get into for newer players. I used to recommend Dragon Quest VIII before Dragon Quest XI came out. Both feel more modern than the games before it. As for IX and X, IX is a DS game so while it’s good it is not as visually impressive; and X is a Japan only MMO-RPG which you will need to jump through a few hoops to play through and read Japanese for (and it doesn’t seem like a good place to start either). If you don’t mind starting with something more old school, Dragon Quest III is the quintessential Japanese RPG. All the jokes and references about RPGs in Japanese media are essentially because of Dragon Quest (when they aren’t about Final Fantasy). Dragon Quest I can be a quick playthrough but I recommend playing a more recent version and avoid the Famicom and NES originals (turns out, the NES one is still pretty much just the Famicom version with a facelift and nothing else). Dragon Quest IV is another fan favorite for its chapter-by-chapter, character-centric story. Dragon Quest V is another favorite because of its story but there does come a time where the game feels a little lonely- you can create a party of monsters so it’s not like you’ll be alone, but you’ll be the only human in the party for a bit. That said, it might be more of an issue in the remakes that add party chat versus the SFC original which lacked it… or not, I don’t know. In any case, there’s a reason why the Netflix Dragon Quest movie is based on DQV. Dragon Quest VI is middling as is II. Both are great! But they’re kinda “just there” if that makes sense. And leave Dragon Quest VII for last. It’s also great but it will take a long time to get through and it is grind heavy (as is IX, by the way). To finish the DQ discussion, yeah, start with XI or VIII. <closing snip about Ys> Dragon Quest VI is the best in the series. It has a sense of mystery that the others lack, a somewhat darker, dreamlike, stranger world. It's big and thorough and challenging and easily outclasses V or especially III, which I find somewhat bland myself. In general the Heavens trilogy (4-5-6) has more flavor than the others, with V being the clear weak point in the trilogy. IV is the best NES RPG, VI is one of the best SNES RPGs, and V is just... good. But DQ is pretty much always good, except maybe IX which I just didn't really enjoy. Guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree- except on DQ IV! It’s definitely one of the best RPGs on the NES if not the best. DQVI is certainly not without merit. It’s visually the best one on the SFC (better than III in terms of “cutscene” animations too) and it has some memorable episodes. I remember the voyages to take down the arch-demon and the twists involved (and the dragon). I remember meeting the real hero. I remember Terry and the haxosaurus. I remember the final part and the dread and despair seen. I guess I remember the overall story as well since it’s so simple: the dream world is breaking apart and is affecting the real world. As for the gameplay, it’s alright but I found myself often lost and directionless. There’s often a time in most DQ games where this happens but it feels worst (to me) in VI. But DQV? That one tugs at the heartstrings (in my opinion). You start the game essentially as a party member to your dad. You go on childhood adventures with the local children. Then tragedy strikes, you grow up and have to strike it out on your own. Before you know you get married and… well, you pretty much see this guy’s life unfold before your eyes, nearly spanning three generations of heroes. It’s a story that gets me more excited than most of the others in the series even if the gameplay can be lacking at times (the tactics system is revamped in the DS remake if not the PS2 one which I’ve yet to play yet). There’s also the point of the game where your character is the only human character and this part of the game can be extremely difficult to slog through. I suppose III is bland because it’s still working off the early Ultima framework (likely Ultima III?) and the driving force in III is more adventuresome than most other DQs. It’s essentially a typical Zelda quest with an excuse plot to get you moving along. I still like it though. I like that kind of thing, so I guess I like bland stuff. That said, I am hoping the new remake adds new things to the game like skills and extra side quests. III was good when I played it first and is still good to me today but it’s definitely showing its age when you put it against other modern RPGs.
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Post by Xeogred on Dec 27, 2022 9:43:48 GMT -5
DQ3 having generic party members you basically make at a shop, yeah doesn't lend itself to much personality there. From a mechanical/gameplay standpoint though I thought it was extremely good and flowed so well. I played the SFC version though.
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Post by toei on Dec 27, 2022 9:51:26 GMT -5
I will give DQIII credit for pulling that fake ending twist way back in the '80s. But yeah, I don't like that it didn't have real party members, especially after DQ2 brought that into the series. It's true that DQVI doesn't give you directions for a long stretch, but I love exploring and doing sub/sidequests, so for me that's a plus.
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