Dragon Quest IX Announced For Nintendo DS
 

The Nintendo DS. :(

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133134

Yes, this deserves a :( I just got into the series with DQVIII (like many of you, I'm sure), and to play the sequel with not even 1/2 of the beautiful visuals Level 5 created with the PS2 is disappointing. Even a Wii version that looked identical to the previous game would've sufficed for me.

Oh well, I guess they didn't want to pick a console so soon (as naturally whichever system gets it would benefit with huge sales).

PS. I said "console", not "handheld".

The only thing that really worries me about this announcement is that almost every RPG franchise that has started on a console then moved onto a portable died a bloody death, the Estpolis/Lufia line being the most bloody.

It can be done, and it can be done right, but please god don't let it suffer the same fate as those who came before it.

Fire Emblem managed to survive it, I'm sure if any series can, Dragon Quest can. Dragon Quest 3 for the GBC (a port of the snes remake, sure...) was pretty damn solid, I don't see why one for the DS couldn't be as well.

Dragon Quest 9: Nintendo DS Exclusive?
 

Um...word has it that Famitsu just reported this.


Isn't that something of a pretty big announcement if it's indeed true? I can't read any Japanese and I don't trust machine translations, so I don't know for myself but a lot of people are saying that is indeed what just happened...

You clearly are not aware of Japan's Grubdog-level obsession with the series. It doesn't matter if the game is an absolute dud, it's still going to sell record numbers in the course of a weekend.

There's been mumblings that this game has a sort of MMO thing going on, but I can't find confirmation on it. Other rumors suggest that a DQX is going to be released around the same time, except this one WILL hit one of the big consoles. I'd be happy with that turnout, except why waste number IX on a handheld when a spinoff title would've worked just as well?

Source

And in English

I love this quote. And he's 75, so I can definitely see this happening. =O

I don't doubt it has the potential to be badass, I'm simply hoping that it comes out that way being one of the top tier franchises. There is generally a LOT riding on a Dragon Quest title, and regardless of how many it sells a shitty turnout will destroy people's faith in it. This coming off of Dragon Quest VIII, which just about everyone loved.

This also opens the door for DQ10 to be in the Wii as well as previous DQ games to be released on the virtual console. DQ9 and DQ10 may be able to interconnect with each other down the line as well.

I'll probably reserve most of my judgement until I start to see some media and ideas about what direction this is going in.

DQ always goes to the hardware with the highest userbase. That's the DS.

WOW! That's shocking AND awesome at the same time. I demand touch screen combat!

http://gemaga.sbcr.jp/archives/01.bmp

http://gemaga.sbcr.jp/archives/02.bmp

Looks much better than I thought. In still shots, anyway (framerate and animation is a whole other story). I'm already missing the orchestral soundtrack and hilarious british voice acting though.

So this game is basically the same as the 8 others right? Same characters. Same monsters. Same storyline. Same combat for the most part. Bleh. I seriously don't get the appeal of DQ.

Hum, DQ8 made a good effort in updating the series without crapping all over tradition. It's a shame this effort will be wasted by moving the main series to a handheld.

Oh well in the state the DQ series was in before VIII makes it a well suited RPG for a handheld.

I have never been able to really get into this series. I've played every entry, and not one of them has been brilliant for me. This game will make sales, hell, it'll kill sales, but I don't personally don't care what system this winds up on.

jeux-france is also reporting that the game will have 4 player co-op via WiFi. - http://www.jeux-france.com/news18428...ntendo-ds.html

Actually, it's still the PS2. I really don't see why they'd move it from the PS2 to the DS, unless they want the touch screen. Quality-wise, they'd be able to do much more with the space available on a DVD than they would with a 128MB cartridge.

This news is insane! DS?? It could work.

I was expecting Wii or PS3 announcement.

BTW: The link in the first post is dead.

Can someone post more sources on this? I wanna make 100% sure its true.

So it really is an action RPG then? Hrm.. DQ Crystal Chronicles FTL.

At least this increases the chances that 10 will be on the Wii if anything.

Oh snap.

In other news, the Japanese government has given Nintendo an official liscense to print money.

The PS2 has a larger install base in Japan right now but it's a dieing system there. The DS on the other hand is on average is selling better than all the other systems combined. They're just thinking about current system sales and the future install base.

It's shocking that it's on a handheld. Good news Level 5 are developing it.

Awesome news, and great vindication for the DS. Of course, we all knew it was such an awesome handheld system already, didn't we? ;)

I'll have to keep an eye on this one. And I expect with the success that DQ8 met, it HAS to be released outside of Japan...it just HAS to!

Vindication? How in the fuck does the DS need to be vindicated? Don't be such a prat just because the system got yet another big title.

Well, if it has awesome action co-op gameplay, great graphics (and thus far they seem fairly nice), and a nice long story then this could be a wonderful game. =)

That's what I wanted Children of Mana to be. :(

Really not something to get excited over, IMO, and that's coming from someone who loves the DS and its games. As mentioned before, I loved what DQVIII did for the series and was looking forward to either more of the same or further refinement of what we saw then.

Well, can't fault them for trying to make money, though. Now they can pump out a DQ every year for a simpler system.

Hm. Not sure how I feel about this. This doesn't seem like a series that needs to be on a handheld (any handheld, mind you). DQ8 was huge and expansive, and my fear is that sensation going to the wayside just to make it portable. Glad as I am that Level 5's handling the project once again, and that DQ9 is even in existence, I'm remaining skeptical for now.

What I said in the DS-specific thread about it. I just don't think this series is meant for any handheld. Spin-offs, sure. But not the full blown concept.

You guys do know that Level 5 is creating this, right? =|

"Oh waaah it'll never be as good as Level 5's masterpiece DQVIII!!!1"

You might as well just go and smack the guys in the face. =/

I don't think Dragon Quest IX it will be the full blown concept, to be honest.

I can only agree to what has already been said about the game: Many of the things that made Dragon Quest VIII so special will be sorely missed in a DS installment.

A blow for Sony, indeed. I can see why they'd want to do this. As with Nintendo's strategy, I'm sure SE wants to get a bigger audience with its Bread and Butter series, and as the DS is being billed as the system for everyone, I suppose its only natural that the put it there, despite the fact that there are more PS2 owners than DS owners.

From a business perspective, it's a smart move. But from a gamer's perspective, I don't like it. The DS's cart size is miniscule compared to a DVD, meaning they won't be able to do everything that they want to do. Also, personally, I don't like playing the DS for long periods of time, something which RPG demand. I'd rather they'd kept this on the PS2, or it they had to put it to a portable, the PSP. Oh well.

I was talking about this with Skills last night and the DS has shown that it can house some pretty big games in those small chips. Plus there are some people that are talking about a multicart system that would be pretty interesting if implemented, and really not that much different from multicart CD's if you think about it.

I'm curious to see just how they'll go with implementing this and what will become of it in terms of future games from various companies. because you KNOW that if this succeeds other companies will follow suit in trying to emulate it. There's a lot of opportunity here to see just what kind of things one can really do with the DS if you push its productivity to its limit. It's just a matter of trying to figure out what works and what can be done with it. I think it could be really neat.

Something of this scope has never been tried on a handheld (the closest we've ever really gotten are ports of large games). The DS certainly isn't a GBA, so this will be interesting in how it pans out.

I'd agree with you, but the fact of the matter is that Final Fantasy III on the DS is so different from its original version that it can be considered an entirely new game.

Plus: There have been a few RPGs on the PSP and the GBA too.
Golden Sun and GS:TLA were both on the Gameboy Advance.
The PSP has PoPoLoCrois.

As far as this DQ goes, I think the graphics look ridiculous. What is it supposed to be, some kind of super-deformed Akira Toriyama art?

If Level 5 announced that Dark Cloud 3 or a Rogue Galaxy sequel was going to be on the PSP, I think you'd see the same reaction. No one wants to be teased with an immersive experience only to have the series on a far more limited platform.

Hopefully this points to DQX being on Wii or any other major console, rather than the series sticking to the DS.

Edit: "same"

I wouldn't know. I haven't played FF3 yet and probably won't for a very long time. =\

I've never played a DQ game so this will be my very first...I'm interested in seeing what they'll do with it, but I think they can pull it off with some good ideas and creative implementation.

Matt, I'm not sure what Dragon Quest games you've been looking at before DQ8 but most of them were super-deformed Akira Toriyama art. =/

Besides going into battle everything was super-deformed otherwise because that was the formula until they decided to use Akira Toriyama's art EVERYWHERE in DQ8.

The only RPG to really do Akira Toriyama completely before DQ8 was Chrono Trigger. Otherwise it was super-deformed and little elements of the game that used it.

So smashing an old school super-deformed vibe while maintaining an Akira Toriyama style shouldn't be much to complain about as long as there is still that epic Dragon Quest story that Level-5 managed to create in 8. If it's just a dungeon crawl like Children of Mana then there is reason to be disappointed but until that's confirmed I look forward to a full-fledged rpg with some SoM elements for my favorite handheld.

Basically, what it boils down to is this: DQ isn't about graphics and such, the DS is currently the most sustainably popular 'system' in Japan, and the next-gen thing is incredibly up in the air right now as to which will be emerge to the top of the heap. Considering that the game is apparently schedule for release in Summer '07, it's been in the works for a while, and most likely will be some kind of pit-stop on the way to something else. Either that or the cash-cow theory with shorter development times for Japan's #1 franchise.

To add, about the screens released so far... I'm so-so about the game's looks. I really don't like how they rendered the monster in the 2nd shot (is he charging his laser?) -- But yeah, we'll see.

I think the deciding factor for me is
A) How the game moves and flows (no lag, intuitive controls, deep gameplay)
B) How the game sounds on the DS (amazing soundtracks often get turned to grainy mush with synth bass due to the restrictions...)

Edit: Checked out the gameplay video Soldier posted. Actually looks rather nice! Seems they really are doing the whole four-player co-op dealy. Could get a ton of mileage out of it for me and my friends...

This news is incredibly stupid to me. Why put the next main entry on handheld? I don't care what system its on, just as long as its a home console, not a handheld. I hate playing games on handheld compared to playing it on a console. I have a PSP, but only own one game, because I don't enjoy enough, to buy more. This reminds of how Final Fantasy 11 had to become an MMORPG.

I hope they port this very quickly to Wii after it comes out.

I hope to god the game will have character classes or something similar. I also hope that there will be a great amount of weapons and armor to find or buy.

I'm beginning to notice a rather disturbing trend with people talking about this. People who started playing Dragon Quest with Dragon Quest VIII suddenly talking like they know what's best for the franchise without even finishing DQVIII or playing the other seven games.

"I PLAYED THROUGH SOME OF DRAGON QUEST VIII IT WAS BORING LOL I'VE NEVER PLAYED THE OTHERS BUT THIS IS THE WORST NEWS LIKE EVER I'M GONNA SUICIDE OVER IT OMG WTF"

I guess the people who played FFVII first now have an ally in the people who played DQVIII first. Not all of you are obviously annoying, but the last thing I want to see is the wave of stupid doubled.

I hope the lot of you wait until we have enough information to actually make a decision as to whether this will suck or not, before throwing your arms in the air and repeatedly screaming "Y U MOVE ASSBACKWARDS HAW HAW HAW FAIL" about this. ;_;

I'm disappointed. I would have liked to see it on the PS3. I hope that they can pull off the action rpg though.

Well said. I have beat all of the existing Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy games. I think DQ9 can work if it feels like a DQ. The music, sound effects, weapons, armor, magic. If they succeed in all the areas that makes DQ a DQ, but have it be an action RPG, it might work afterall.

I applaud the move to the DS. 4-player co-op for the win.

As immersive as DQ8 was, for me, games are a lot more enjoyable if I can play them with my friends. Let's hope we get something that's at least Secret of Mana quality in terms of its multi-player experience.

And I don't see how a move to a game card from a DVD necessarily dooms it. We'll have to wait and see to see how well the experience transfers, but I think it's premature to assume that the game will be any less fun just because of any technical limitations a move to a portable might have.

For your information, mister smarty-pants, none. :(

What elements from DQ8 can't be ported to a smaller media? The voice? (which, btw, is the best VA work ever)

The more I learn about this game the more I can't help but think management is behind this one. For all purposes this game is taking the series in a different direction enough to be a spin-off game, but DQ spin-off games have traditionally not done well when compared to the titles in the main series.

This has Final Fantasy XI written all over it.

To put it simply, the grand scale that was DQ8. There is no way they are going to be able to create such a deep and immersive game on a platform with limited media storage, tiny 2-inch screens and at best headphones for sound. Plus the games is already showing signs of being a watered down DQ8. The platform itself is going to dictate it to be a pick-up and play type game rather than a game you can sit down with for hours and the online aspect just further supports this theory.

And here's a (possibly real) picture to stir the pot:
http://gonintendo.com/wp-content/pho..._sssphp_01.jpg

But, you know, the game isn't even finished, so who knows.

Statements like this have been tossed around the GAF thread the last couple of days, and it pretty much shows the forum's ugly side magnified for everyone to see. Their constant need to use every single piece of news or quote that Sony is doomed is just annoying as shit. I bet not even half of those guys even like DQ, but they still love having any excuse to cheer for Nintendo.

I don't see how moving DQIX to the DS affects the PS3 or the Wii in any way. They probably just didn't want to pick a side with the two consoles when both of them barely got into the market. The DS is already a huge success, so having this game isn't going to make it bigger (just like how the PS2 was already dominating the market before DQVIII came around).

This does, however, hurt the PSP, which quite honestly is struggling. Considering that I spent $250 (much of it in trade-ins), I really hope it still has a chance to pick up, because I can't stand to see wasted potential.

Ironically, a port/remake of FFT was announced for the PSP on the same day, something that I'm sure tons of people have been waiting for. But since GAF spits on all things Sony-related, they dismiss the news as "unecessary" along with lines like "it'll suck without Matsuno" "anything on the PSP is crap, so this is crap" "Nintendo forever" etc etc.

I've been wanting Nintendo to try the multi-cart route since the N64. However, I doubt multi-carts will ever become a reality. Nintendo always tries to cater to the mass market of gamers and non-gamers out there, and they probably think most people are too stupid to figure out which cart goes first.

Oh, and the game looks pretty amazing in that video. How does Level 5 do it?

Where did you get that pick? If it's fake then who made it?

It is quite a blow to Sony, because the DS is receiving an original title rather than yet another slightly updated port of a game. If they ported over FFT to the PSP with the same level of additions that FFIII got on the DS (content over graphics, obviously) they'd have all kinds of win going for them. But alas, that isn't the case. This is a huge blow to the PSP, and should 10 be announced on the Wii, an even larger blow to the PS3 in Japan. Dragon Quest is bigger than Final Fantasy there, so anything DQ-related announced is serious business.

New FFT without Matsuno will indeed be crap. The port should survive, though.

Where's all this negativity spewing from, if you don't mind me asking? PSP's been dead in Japan for a good while, and it's been floundering everywhere else. This is less "a blow for Sony" and more "SE clamoring for even more money". For reasons already stated, the DS was the logical choice seeing as how the newer consoles haven't established themselves and they could pump out a new DQ every year now (taking advantage of the rabid fans' wallets).

As for FFT, I wouldn't worry. New blood is more often than not, a good thing.

Now, after seeing DQ:Swords screens and reading up on it, it really has me anxious for a Wii DQ.

There is no negativity involved in my post, considering it's basic fact at this point. I'll rephrase what I said in that it's a "deathblow" rather than a normal blow. I already stated in the Ivalice Alliance thread that those games were nothing more than an easy money machine, and that DQIX might be part of that scheme.

The chief difference is that DQIX may be Horii and the Enix division sizing up the Nintendo market, as most people who own a DS right now either own or will end up owning a Wii. With the Square side, literally no one expects a Final Fantasy Tactics for the PS3 at this point.

Who knows what they're thinking really.

No, that's not what I was pointing out when I mentioned that you were being a tad harsh. This is what I'm talking about:

FFTA was trash, and nothing Matsuno's done in a long time has been groundbreaking or amazing enough to simply toss out any future Tactics titles.

Eh, let's be honest here: This is the start of SE milking the series, moreso than the Ivalice titles.

They're thinking about block long lines, for a product where they only need to put in 1/10th the effort that would've been put into a Wii/PS2/PS3/360 title.

Funny how everyone who says that Square is supporting Nintendo now completely forgot the development of not one but two major FF games for the PS3.

I know Dragon Quest is more popular in Japan, but it can't be THAT much more popular.

AFAIK, it's so popular that the government over there only allows the release of the games on certain days (can't remember which), because otherwise people would skip school or call in sick for work.

That sounds a little out of context. No one in their right mind would say "Square-Enix is fully supporting Nintendo" with the intention of stating that Sony has been abandoned.

If someone says that, they mean that Squeenix is now fully on-board with Nintendo hardware. They made up years ago, sure, but support has been very slow until just recently.

GoNintendo.

DQ is insanely populat in Japan, moreso than Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy is to us as DQ is to Japan (and that's an understatement).

I'll agree that FFTA was trash, but then the GBA doesn't give you too much to work with really. Dragon Quest on the other hand was built on synth music and a simplistic formula and has remained popular over the years. The DS may not be a multimedia champion, but it can produce a Dragon Quest good enough to be a main franchise title.

What I find completely interesting here is that Nintendo made the Wii and basically said "F U GRAPHICS" so the Enix division takes Dragon Quest and says "F U MAIN CONSOLES" and deprives everyone of Dragon Quest IX in HD PROGRESSIVE SUPER 45"+ AWESOME ORCHESTRATED ORGAMSIC TV SUPERPOWER. All the while, Dragon Quest Swords for the Wii slips under everyone's radar even though it looks awesome.

Though I'm wondering what exactly you consider "groundbreaking" these days when literally everything has already been done.

Just because it was built on a simplistic formula doesn't mean it should limit itself to that, as breaking from that has given us something fantastic. Unfortunately, the hardcore fans find this reason enough to berate people who enjoyed a DQ that took full advantage of current hardware and would like to see more epic experiences like it.

No need for the hyperbole, people simply don't like missing out on what would be an even better gaming experience because the developer decides to gimp the title. Surely you agree that DQIX with the hardware resources of the Wii would likely be a much more realized adventure, than a DS title?

Strange that Matsuno deserves to be exalted to the point where anything Ivalice is an instant failure without him, but he's far from amazing. Simply pointing out that your negativity for the new titles is relatively unfounded. This is a bit off topic so I'll drop it.

Yup, there’s a law in Japan regarding the Dragon Quest games. The launch day of a title is restricted to being on a weekend, otherwise everyone stops work and stops going to school and the country shuts down. That’s how big it is.

Initially it was a surprise, but seeing as how DQ games typically come out on the best selling system (and often later in the lifespan) it shouldn’t be too shocking. However, I was sure that another DQ related DS game was being released in Japan soon, so perhaps this is a ploy to encourage fans to purchase a DS for the spinoff knowing that they’ll also be able to play DQIX when it’s released.

As for querying the format choice, I’ll keep in mind that for me, DQ6 was deep and immersive experience and that only came out on a 16bit system (with all the Toriyama SD graphics).

My main problem with this is mainly just the fact that it's for a portable system, I've never owned a portable system and probably never will, so that essentially writes DQIX off for me. That said, it doesn't bother me too much because obviously, being a DS game, it will not include anywhere near what DQVIII did so I don't particularly feel like I'll be missing anything too amazing anyway.

I guess now I can start looking forward to DQX instead of IX, after DQVIII, I really can't wait to see what a PS3 DQ will look like (assuming that's what 10 ends up being).

The developer stated this is the most fun he's had making a game since the original DQ. It's win-win for everyone up there.

Maybe because they don't really have to put massive effort into making it, so the developer gets to just run around the office doing fun things. Maybe that's what he means...

All sarcasm aside, most game developers that gain high ranking positions such as producers love what they do, because they wouldn't be doing it otherwise. If someone who already loves their occupation turns around and says that he had the most fun developing a game than he's ever had before, that speaks volumes for the game itself.

Realize that in a world where you can have as much fun playing Poker with a deck of cards and four buddies as you can playing Halo 2 with those same four buddies on a massive gaming rig, that sometimes big things come in little packages. This game should not be excluded from that.

I'm not sure if it was posted, but here is the first game trailer ^^

http://www.gametrailers.com/umwatcher.php?id=27601 (there,s problem with the audio synch though)

i'm not a fan of dragon quest, I didn't really like DQ8 but that's just me, but this one seem pretty interesting, mainly for the 4 co-op a-rpg ^^

Fucking lol.
Windyman the director of Nintendo World Report photoshopped it for lol. I mean he even posted it in the NWR joke forum.
And heres a hint. If a picture has "Gamebrink.com" written on it then chances are he got it from gamebrink.
but here is the original

I am extremely shocked and appalled that this is going to happen.

I thought it would've been a good idea to put this on WII, but they decide to put this on ds.

Not only that, but it's not even turn based anymore.

I wonder if square is doing this mainly because they want to dominate both the handheld and console RPG markets.

I don't know why they just don't release vargrant story 2.

That, my friend, is actually a very good idea.

But what the heck, that dual cart crap was kinda hard to believe from the start anyway... The game itself looks interesting though, and graphically quite nice.

I hope I can get my DS soon, so I have something fresh and new to play.

In really thinking about this concept, I'm starting to warm up to it more and more. Should the game be completely Wi-Fi enabled (and not in-range multiplayer bullshit) this has the potential to be pure fucking gold. It's basically Zelda, but with complete RPG elements and the ability to travel as a party.

The game hinges on two things here. It needs to be Nintendo Wi-Fi online enabled, and it needs to have something that would attract people's attention to play it more than a few times. Medal Collection and Pachisi from Dragon Quest III GBC would be a good start, as well as other possible things.

This really has a lot of potential when you stop to think about all the things they could do with it.

A bit late on this but I have to point out a flaw in your logic, FFTA wasnt trash because the GBA doesn't give you much to work with... Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis was released on the GBA way before FFTA came out and it is a damn good game (not AS good as FFT due to system limitations and such but damn close to it and it makes a mockery out of FFTA). FFTA was just a badly designed game on many different levels (Judge system, thin story, lack of unique characters in your party, the missions you send guys out on and rely basicly on luck for them to win, etc., etc.).

Personally I am fully confident that Level 5 can deliver a worthy DQ on the DS :) Honestly I am rather pleased it's hitting the DS, this way I know that I will be able to find the time to play it! If it was on consoles I could never tell when I would be able to get around to it (I'm flooded with games atm and from the looks of things there shall be no end to it).

I wouldn't really call that a flaw. There is an insurmountable distinction between the two titles in what people expect out of them. It's apples and oranges grown on the same farm, per se. I wouldn't doubt that you would consider Knights of Lodis a superior title; there are some that prefer it even over the original FFT. It's a matter of personal preference. I digress though, as this topic is about Dragon Quest IX.

I wonder how Level 5 is handling the newfound fame of basically being handed the reigns to one of Japan's most popular franchises. It was Dark Cloud, then Dark Chronicle, then BAM out of nowhere Dragon Quest VIII. Now they're given control of IX. Jeanne D'Arc might force me into buying a PSP sometime later down the line, heh.

I've been wondering about that myself. It's not like SE doesn't have the money to develop their own DQ game. I just hope Level 5 doesn't become some outsourcing whore. I'd rather they continue developing their own original titles than pick up some other developer's outsourced work. Granted, DQ8 rawked my sawks, but still. Rogue Galaxy <3

Dragon Quest IX will be only the second game Level 5 has worked on that is part of a pre-existing series. Dark Cloud, Dark Chronicle, Rogue Galaxy, Jeanne d'Arc, Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village, White Knight Story-- all original titles or sequels to them.

Right now, you're right -- the majority of their titles (all but 2) are originals and sequels. I wasn't talking about being afraid of any kind of change of that nature anytime soon, just in the long run. I'd rather not see them be the next developers of Grandia, Final Fantasy, or Kingdom Hearts. Just sayin'.

I've got a ton of respect for Level 5 as a company. To rise up as a developer/publisher and gain the sort of recognition they have now is incredible. It wouldn't be much of a far cry to begin associating them with the likes of Square-Enix, Namco-Bandai, etc.