Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

This is a riviting, fun game. Challenging and hard to put down once you starts. Time just slips by. Thoroughly enjoy it. I wish they would make more of this type of games for the older systems.

Nathan A. Webster "Musical anti-snob" has a great critical review, so I won't say anything more on the actual game set-up, especially since I played the game through about, well let's say just the first couple of battles one must go through in the instructional introduction. I changed the game disc at that point, and this now sits up in the stack of my things that I will probably never do anything with ever again, except to put them in a box when I move them to my next home.

I totally bought this game because of Amazon's delightful way of making recommendations for you based on what you purchase. Since I read a lot of Fantasy books with Dragon in the title, plus I have PS2, this was a sparkling jewel that has no real value, now that I have seen it for myself. I guess, this could all be due because I have already played through twice Final Fantasy X and both the Kingdom Hearts, plus I'm currently playing FFXII and Fantasy Star Universe. So you can imagine that seeing little tamagotchi characters showing you how to defeat your enemy, made me feel almost insulted (I realize that Kingdom Hearts and Fantasy Star U are RPG-just not turned based, but take a look at FFXII which was being developed and already was included as demo in one of the US releases of Dragon Quest and you see huge differences)

So, I guess I should have looked at the original release date (which is actually October 2004 in Japan, the 2006 date refers to US only) and the TEEN rating, but to tell you the truth, it should at most be 'tweener' since apparently battling with brightly colored fun little pokemon animations has no real basis of what defeat in real life would be. Also, this is now the second Square Enix game I've bought that, to me, doesn't live up to it's reputation. I guess my Quest to find a captivating game these days is like a Journey of the Cursed

I love Dragon Quest VIII. It is a great RPG. It a game one can lost track of time playing because it is so much fun. I heartily recommend this product!

I made sure I played this game thouroughly before I did this review. With RPGs a gamer has to at least invest 10-15 hours into it before they can grasp the overall merits and flaws of the game. First let me say if you judge fantasy role-playing games solely by flashy graphics and a real time in-your-face combat engine this may not be the game you are looking for. Once again you'll be treated to random battles and a turn based battle system. Furthermore to add to your angst this is a whimsical 3D cel shaded anime styled world with designs done by none other than the same artist responsible for Dragon Ball.

To be frank these things would normally make me disdain an RPG. I've long said I'm not a fan of stereotypcal cutesy cliches or tired old plots of kingdoms in peril and "the hero" running off to save the world. Yet despite my inner rpg scrooge this game made me smile. It was subtle at first and I tried glowering through each humorous wacked out boss monster and each predictable plot twist and yet regardless my reservations I couldn't put my controller down. It was the strangest thing in gaming I ever experienced.

The point is like a 2D fighter Dragon Quest 8 is not trying to revolutionize its genre when it comes to mind blowing meta physics, fights in real time, or a dystopian dark reality filled with seedy adult themes. Rather it appeals to the crowd that can appreciate when RPGs had an innocence about them. That golden age when characters were all lovable, believable, and didn't try to be metrosexaul pretty boys with angst problems or girls decked out in lingerie and black lip stick trying to look like hot topic vampires.

To start you of you are the silent protagonist. An evil Jester wizard enveloped your home town in thorns, killed all your friends, turned the king into a pitiful monster, and turned the princess into a horse. Being an all around nice guy you set off to free the King and daughter from their cuse and stop the evil Dhoulmagus.

Along the way a ruffian bandit Yangus tries to accquire your purse of coin but in a turn of events he is left hanging from a thread and you save him. He swears his undying loyalty to you and off you go!

You'll also be joined by the spirited aristocratic sorceress Jessica who is having family troubles and the charismatic Templar Angelo that is into gambling and women despite constant reprimands from the holy order he serves.

I say all this because it is unveiled quickly. I'm not giving you spoilers because the truth of it is the plot is straight forward, at least in the very beginning.

As you would suspect every character has their own skill sets to raise. Some of these are common such as boosting different weapon proficencies but some have a humorous or social slant to them like Yangus's humanity and Jessica's upgradable sex appeal.

To add to the nostalgic cheese the enemies are usaully wacked out, creatively portrayed, and often enough can make you split your sides with laughter. Their are dancing devils that give you the urge to gyrate around like a disco super star. There are fuzzy one eyed little beasties in a boot that slow your agility. There are bunicorns (a mix of rabbits and unicorns) and even those adorable non intimidating looking blue slimes. If you are a Dragon Quest veteran you'll definetly recognize your favorite monsters from the franchise.

To top this all off King Trode eventually reveals his alchemy pot. You can mix rare components in it to create rare weapons and armor. Found recipes in towns tell you what you need so at least it is not an aimless goose chase most of the time. The Alchemy system in this game is simplistic. If you were overwhelmed by Star Ocean 3's unnecessarilly complicated creation system you will be delightfully content with this one by comparison.

Despite the games deliberate simplicity do not expect it to be lacking challenge especially if you go into battles unprepared. This was a first time an earliar boss handed my rear to me due to my flawed over confidence. You need to go into scraps with good equipment and alot of healing herbs. Furthermore you need to plan your strategies carefully.

Besides that the voice acting is wonderful, the orchestral tracks in the game are beautiful, and there are alot of side quests and places to explore off the beaten path.

In conclusion if you are completly smitten by dark edgy RPGS or those that are live action you might want to pass on Dragon Quest 8. However if you an RPG fan tired of doom and gloom who would like to have your inner child emerge again definetly pick up this gem! You can now get it for around $20.00 and I assure you it is worth every penny.

Pros

+ Sprawling 100% explorable landscapes. If you can see it you can go there!

+ Characters are cliche but in a quirky lovable way that endears you to them immediatly.

+ A hidden series of boss trials and another ending will keep you curious long after you have beaten it the first time.

+ Despites its simple menus and battling sequences the game is challenging and encourages you to be smart.

+ Random modes of transportation make even the toughest of trials alot more easy on you.

+ The game prides itself on substance as opposed to image. Trust me it is easy to drop 100+ hours into Dragon Quest 8 without having seen every secret it has to offer.

Cons

- For those obcessed with originality and the cutting edge Dragon Quest 8 will look like a horse that has been beaten many times.

- The turn based battles are a bit too generic and with the exclusion of the better 3D cel shaded graphics this really is like playing any other outdated Dragon quest game.

- At some points you are forced to level grind.

_ The story while very charming is still very predictable for the most part.

- You can only save if a priest is present. That is however a minor gripe considering certain spells and items can teleport you to towns very quickly and mostly whisk you back close to where you left off.

This is easily the best game I've ever played in my entire gaming career. The storyline might seem basic to some, but it is such a good plot that it affect the quality of the game at all. Just playing this game is like playing a game made from God. The music, characters, and settings all set the stage for a perfect environment for anyone looking to play a great RPG game. However, the only thing that needs work is the leveling system because it seems that you need to train ALOT to get at a certain level to be any type of match for the bosses. But, training in itself is one of those fun experiences. Overall, GREAT GAME!