Is Dragon Quests 8 any good

[Chickenballz]

I totally didn't see any style or anything in the SNES days. Mainly because the severe lack of detail.

I mean, if this...

...looked like this the entire game, I'd would never have played Chrono Trigger.

Course, Final Fantasy was no exception to this shit either.

I'm really glad Chrono Cross ditched Toriyama for whoever the hell they ditched him for. Sure I never finished that game either and really don't care about it, but it's ok.

The point is General Leo is black but I never knew that because his sprite is white. He has a mohawk. wtf.

[Sean]

Originally Posted by Bunny

First off, I get really sick and tired of everyone complaining about the Dragon Ball Z artwork. Guess what kids! Chrono Trigger was the same ****ing way. Get over it already, kay? Just because the artist sticks with his style, because it works, does not mean that it is terrible. Okay. You hate DBZ, that's nice. But open your mind just a little bit more.

CT was also 16 bit, and you couldn't TELL it was Akira Toriyama's art style.

I don't dislike the game because I dislike Dragon Ball Z. I dislike the game because Akira Toriyama's art style sucks. It's too simple, it has no variety to characters at all, and nothing is ever new or exciting about Toriyama's art. His style doesn't work, and I don't know what makes you or anyone else think that it does.

The battle system feels like I'm playing an 8bit RPG on a 128bit system. Again, not a good thing.

I don't like this game for those reasons. You like the game for your own reasons, I dislike it for my own reasons.

So, you know, just get over it, kay?


Andro:

There's a guy in the first town who looks like Mr. Satan, only slimmer. You cannot make any other assumption BUT that. There's a character I've seen screens of who is Trunks. The main character is a hybrid of Goku and Gohan with Gohan's Saiyaman costume. There's a girl in the bar in the first town who looks just like Bulma, only blonde. She reminds me of the DB episode where Bulma was wearing bunny ears. There's a kid who looks exactly like Trunks in the first town only, again, blonde hair.

Even in DBZ every character looks similar, same facial shapes and different hairstyles with slightly different muscles. That's all Toriyama's style in creating characters is.

[Cain Highwind]

Originally Posted by Sean

CT was also 16 bit, and you couldn't TELL it was Akira Toriyama's art style.

I don't dislike the game because I dislike Dragon Ball Z. I dislike the game because Akira Toriyama's art style sucks. It's too simple, it has no variety to characters at all, and nothing is ever new or exciting about Toriyama's art. His style doesn't work, and I don't know what makes you or anyone else think that it does.

The battle system feels like I'm playing an 8bit RPG on a 128bit system. Again, not a good thing.

I don't like this game for those reasons. You like the game for your own reasons, I dislike it for my own reasons.

So, you know, just get over it, kay?


Andro:

There's a guy in the first town who looks like Mr. Satan, only slimmer. You cannot make any other assumption BUT that. There's a character I've seen screens of who is Trunks. The main character is a hybrid of Goku and Gohan with Gohan's Saiyaman costume. There's a girl in the bar in the first town who looks just like Bulma, only blonde. She reminds me of the DB episode where Bulma was wearing bunny ears. There's a kid who looks exactly like Trunks in the first town only, again, blonde hair.

Even in DBZ every character looks similar, same facial shapes and different hairstyles with slightly different muscles. That's all Toriyama's style in creating characters is.

I find it laughable that you say it's not because you hate DBZ, yet all you can say is "So and so looks like Bulma if you remember the episode..." and "if you cross Gohan and Goku in the Great Saiyaman outfit, you get the hero". You can do that with practically ANY character designer/artist. Nomura, Amano, Shinkiro. You're trying WAYYY too hard to point out similarities.

Honestly, yeah, there are some similarities but well after about 20 hours logged into the game, I honestly didn't see any more "It's so-and-so, but slightly different". Do you see Fencing, Tap Dancing Foxes in DBZ? How about crazy, possessed, evil anchors? Two faced frogs? Personally,I think his monster design, if anything, is richly imaginitive. But seriously after a while,of playing DQVIII (and I did it when playing CT), you really forget ALL ABOUT the DBZ influence.

I think that's what it really is, no matter what you say, you think that because DBZ sucks, clearly, there's nothing redeemable about DQVIII's characters. I'm honestly quite surprised how well his designs work in a complete LotR styled Fantasy.

Oh I'm logged over 65 hours and got to the Savella Catherdral. HOLY CRAP! IS THIS AREA GORGEOUS! Seriously, I find this game the best looking 3-D Adventure game since Zelda: OoT, and DQVIII EASILY trumps it. The environments are just so gorgeous, the day to night transitions (and unlike Zelda, the transitions aren't limited by towns)

Oh and I do understand your comments regarding the battle system. It's solid though, it's fun. I LIKE the fact that it feels like an 8Bit game, a lot of reviewers said that too.


But hey you're talking to the guy who didn't beat Xenogears or Vagrant Story, because he got bored with it, I understand, and respect your opinion. I just hate the whole, "It looks like DBZ, Toriyama sucks!" It's just as stupid as hating KH because of "Evil Disney" or thinking Nintendo is kiddy and thus sucks.

[Sean]

Well, Cain, the reason I hate DBZ is because of his art style. I'm only using DBZ as a way to compare how shallow his style is.

Something I did notice but never mentioned, and probably should have, is that he IS diverse when creating non-human characters. Non-humanoid, I should say. Monsters, in other words.

But when the man is designing humanoid characters nearly every last one of them share the same main features, only slightly modified. It's just not fun to look at something and keep thinking that it looks so much like something else, therefore I dislike it. Hell, within his humanoid character's universes everyone looks like their brothers/sisters. Compared to other art styles I've seen for anime and portraits it just can't compare.

who cares, who's style it was. if it is a good game, who cares who drew the characters.

[Andromeda]

Well now that I have played the game, at least for a while, 36 hours so far. I have been playing non-stop since I got for Christmas. And I must say it is a fun game to play, if all the Dragon Quest games have the same attention to detail and humor as this one, I can see why it shuts down Japan, its is a great game. And while the battle system is a little arcane, I enjoy it since I have not really played many old school RPGs its fun, about as old school as I get is Super Mario RPG, awesome game too. But anyway, like Cain was saying, its a beautiful world to look at and if I did not have to worry about monsters all the time, I would just sit and wander about it.

Addressing the issue on character design, well, I think a lot of what makes people see DBZ in it is the eyes, the eyes are really the thing that makes characters, especially in Anime and Disney characters, it is the largest or most important feature on the face. The eyes speak what words cannot express, so they are important. And if you look at any anime, you will see that every show has the same type of eyes all the characters, same style, because every artist has their way of drawing them, and you can see the same thing in other series that the same person drew for. You cannot escape it, look at s-CRY-ed and Gundam Seed, their characters all idential almost, and most of it comes from the eyes, because they drew them the same way. Toriyama has a way of drawing them, and so when we see those type it is a dead give away of his style. I bet you if replaced the eyes, you'd be hard pressed to see as many similarities. And now granted their are some remarkable character similiarites, but I would imagine that it is a type of respect or fan service for the DBZ fans to have Mr. Satan look a like, Toriyama always said it was his favorite character from DBZ.

But thinking of DBZ every moment while playing the game, nope not really. I have to make myself think about it more than anything. I would imagine if it were not this thread I would not be try so hard to look for the similiarites. They are there a little, but I mean really, if you cannot play a game because of a simple issue with seeing DBZ in something that is pretty shallow. I mean, heck I hate DBZ as much as the next person, well probably more since there is not a lot of people out there that hate it, but I would watch Sailor Moon before DBZ probably, and Sailor Moon reminds me of Power Rangers, which I hate even more than both of those shows. But anyway, get past it, DQVIII is a great good to play, and a lot of fun. The whole British thing a little wierd with the whole population being from England, but it makes it even more amusing.

If my parents did not get so annoyed by me playing it again, I would probably restart the moment I beat the game to play it. It is a lot of fun, even fighting has it pleasures. I love the animations they have for the monsters. Quality entertainment in a RPG, I have not had this much fun and laughs since FFX-2, which I will probably get stones tossed at for enjoying FFX-2, but heck I took it for what the game, a fun departure from the very depressing FFX.

And on a side note, FFXII Demo, so awesome, I cannot wait. It is FFXI in single player mode, it is so much fun. I'll be playing that until I am dead. Oh it was fun, fighting is going to be so much fun and no worries about random battles, just respawn rates. Oh, it makes me so giddy, its awesome, did I say it is awesome, because it is awesome. ^^; Sorry, I have not been able to tell it to anyone yet that could actually appreciate it like you can.

[Cain Highwind]

Originally Posted by Sean

Something I did notice but never mentioned, and probably should have, is that he IS diverse when creating non-human characters. Non-humanoid, I should say. Monsters, in other words.

100% agreed. I will most definetely agree that his Monster/Non-human designs completely outweigh his Human designs, easily.

And Andro, if you want a nice fast way of beating the game. Get the strategy guide. It doesn't exactly hold your hand or spoil you but damn in some cases, I don't know what I'd do without it. Namely Alchemy recipies and Treasure chest locations. Since the world is so huge, it'll save you a good couple of hous knowing where chests are straightaway.

[Andromeda]

Well I try to place games using only my brains, and then after beating them go to the guides to see what I missed. I have been having a lot of fun traveling and exploring the world a little aimless at times. But I have found a good amount of recipes and 54 Mini Medals so far. If I get really stuck and cannot figure it out after trying all the things I can think of, I will find out what I am missing. But it feels better to me, having beat the game under my own steam. I just finished in the Pirate's Cove, Crow was a pain in the neck, tensioning all the time, just lucky for Angelo's ability to lower it. Though his double turns do not help matters. Anyway, I looked around for a more offical DQVIII thread, rather than just asking if it is any good. If you want Cain, you could start up one for a more civil discussion about the game and playing through it. I would have fun talking to someone about it, or if you felt so inclind, a club, but a thread here can easily do. I don't know how many other people would want to talk about it. But it is truly a fun world to roam on the back of a sabrecat.

And you are right, Savella is a beautiful place to see, I want to get up to the top where the Lord High Priest is, must be a great view.

regardless of what most people say in regards to the art work of the characters. (cell shaded style of character)
This game withen the first 1o minutes had me hooked.
the battle system was good as far as I could tell.
One thing that realy made me happy was the older Dragon Quest elements in it. Such as, when you defeat an enemy or while talking to any npc.
Every thing in whole comes together regardless of criticism in regards to the cell shaded characters some what similar in appearance to that of Dbz. Most anime artists and or manga artists tend to stick to art and or drawing scales to which they easily produce something that looks good and is not to hard to whip out in a few minutes. So really most anime and or manga artists tend to show alot of similarities between their characters regardless of them being socially different and or having a some what different body build or even personalities diferences.
Any ways, yes to me the older Dragon Quest elements , the art work having been cell shaded to memakes it come together more. The characters, the plot, (and of course the Final Fantasy 12 demo) come together in this lush and very fun rpg for the Playstation 2.

[princemikie1]

rockssss dragon quest rocksss

MERGED POSTS

Originally Posted by Cain Highwind

Yeah, that's kind of the idea. I myself love the nostalgia



That part makes no sense whatsoever, it doesn't even sound like the game. How does switching the camera make moves look crappy, and I don't even know what that last part is supposed to mean.



This is subject to opinion, but I've been quite enjoying the voice acting (certainly better than FFX). The only part I've heard that was quite forced was maybe the scene in Farebury where all the townspeople just spew out random "Urgs" and "Bahs" at you.



Any game you play for just 30 minutes is going to seem slow, I don't think you realize just how much is in the game especially since it sounds like you probably just played the demo. The battle system is mediocre, but it's all in the visual humor of both the enemies and attacks (again, you're really not going to see much of this in the demo). But again, not everyone's going to appreciate the nostalgia.



Just admit you haven't played the game. I can SO tell you're just BSing.

oh yeah i have to say that i have played dragon quest because i have it and i dont think u do i just think your just using everyones else opinons and information like lets see there a green goblin that used to be the king and the princess that is now a pony or a horse but who cares and the main charecter never talks and u never hear his voice and theres all my stuff to prove that i have it so wats yours cain wildwind