Well,
now that E3 has come and gone, it's time for a roundup of all the
Dragon Quest news! Let's check Square Enix's assets!
...Hm, don't see anything.
Let me check Nintendo's press site. Sometimes they have assets and
tidbits Square Enix doesn't.
...Nope, nothing there
either.
No Dragon Quest.
Nothin'! Six Final Fantasy games though. Really! If you visit
Square Enix Members, you know that SEI's PR is now using
the tool of the devil known as Twitter. Gently poke them and say,
"Hey, no DQ? What gives!" In other Members news, they
have a Slime Knights group now! So if there are any stragglers
out there, drop by, sign up, and say hello. Just don't lose your
password, because that'll be a month long ordeal.
If you've been coming
to this site long enough, you know Dwaine's no Square Enix. Dwaine'll
never leave you hanging. So what am I gonna do? Announce a new game,
that's what!
Dragon
Quest Wars is a new title for Nintendo's DSiWare. For those
a little behind the times, Nintendo's recently released Nintendo
DSi allows you to connect to the DSi Shop and download new and original
content right smack on your DSi. Dragon Quest Wars is developed
by Intelligent Systems. You may remember them from such games as
the Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, and Wario Ware.
This is actually the first of six games Intelligent Systems is developing
in conjunction with Square Enix for the DSi. Not much is known outside
of you'll be collecting a team of monsters and using their unique
skills to come out on top. You won't have to wait long, because
it's due in just a few weeks... in Japan. SEI has registered the
name for North America, but it isn't on Nintendo's schedule for
this year. Hey, how 'bout some screen shots?
This site's
hibernation is nearly over. My "sekrit projekt" is in
the final stages, and once that's over, the site rebuilding will
continue. Thanks for still stopping by!
-The
Dwaine
No, you're not seeing
things! No, it's not a teaser. It's done! It's out! Dragon Quest
III for the Super NES, after 13 years is finally available in
English! What? Don't believe me? Do screen shots lie?
Download
the patch and enjoy!
Be sure
to read the README file. It needs to be patched on an unheadered
rom and the file will give you instructions.
The effort
put into this patch is nothing short of amazing. The memory of the
ROM itself was expanded. The menus were completely rewritten and
relocated. The names for the items, enemies, and spells have also
been expanded. Be sure to toss the team an e-mail to say thank you.
Fans have been waiting for what seems like an eternity for this,
so please let them know their time and efforts didn't go to waste!
-The
Dwaine
You
want good links? I got some good links!
Siliconera
has posted an interview with DQ V's localization director. It hits
all the basics and definitely beats all the reviews whining about
having to leave a dungeon if you want to save.
Ben
Haskett discovered Dragon Quest last fall when he picked
up DQ IV for his DS. Now he's hooked and is going back to gain experience
on all the slimy goodness he's missed. You
can read all about his discoveries on Destructiod.
Still
don't have a DS? Holding out for that Playstation 2 version of Dragon
Quest V? Lucky for you, because the fan translation for PS2
DQ V comes closer to a reality every day. In fact, a public release
candidate will be ready soon. Most of the vile script beast has
been slain, but it still needs to be kicked a few more times to
make sure it's down. The only way to make sure everything makes
sense and the story flows is to play through the game. The lucky
ones will play through it and corrections will be submitted via
web form.
Even though the candidate
is mostly ready, its release will be further down the road to not
discourage anyone from the new DS release. Stay tuned. When it hits,
you'll know it first!
Again
saving the best for last, here are three more movies that mess with
my layout but make you happy!
I know it's been (yikes)
nearly a year, and even longer if you're in the know, but the new
design is a-comin'! Lots of work and DQ V stuff has taken up all
my DQ time. But I haven't forgotten about it! Got the fonts for
the navigation menu all picked out. Oh yeah!
Just for something random,
I've been using a program called ObjectDock.
It emulates the Mac's navigation, hardly uses any memory, is customizable,
and it's free! Love it to death 'n I think you will too.
Many thanks to Gabo for
Amplitude!
-The
Dwaine
Yesterday
the official Dragon
Quest V site received a sexy lil' update. The full site
has opened, but you might notice something extra. While browsing,
you'll see monsters creeping all around. Say, "Hey, I'm trying
to read that!" 'n smack it. Not only will you catch that monster
and be treated to a small description, but if you manage to find
them all, you're eligible for a heavenly Dragon Quest V prize
pack! Former Slime Knights may recognize some of these prizes, including
a copy of DQ V autographed by series creator Yuji Horii!
For
those keeping score, here's a rundown of the name changes. Looks
like the only ones intact so far are Bianca and Cho'nuff.
DEBORAH'S NAME CHANGE
IS UNACCEPTABLE!! RRAAAAGGH!!
That enough rage for
you? Here we go! Papas is now Pankraz. Bella and Powan are Honey
and Treacle. An educated guess tells me all residents of the Fairy
Kingdom will be named after sugary oozing things. Henry is Harry.
If they're going in the direction I think, Dale may be William.
Spell researcher Ol' Bennett is now Professor Toilen Trubble. Ludman
is now the Italian Roberto with Flora to Nera and Deborah losing
her H. Finally, Martha is called Madalena. For locations, Santa
Rosa has been changed to Roundbeck and Granvania to Gotha. Granvania's
the only one that's gotten a major, "...Ew." out of me.
Saving
the best for last, some new movies are up 'n ready for lookin'.
Three of them, just to mess with my layout.
I tossed
May through August updates on a separate
page. Don't say I never did anything for you!
-The Dwaine
Here
are four new Dragon Quest V movies. I hope I'm not stepping
on any toes by going the YouTube route. It was a fast and temporary
solution until the video portion of the Shrine up 'n running smoothly.
Once that's in place, I'll delete these and replace them with the
full resolution files. Because gosh darn it, they really are perfect
resolution movies.
P.S. Thanks to Siliconera
for practically copy/pasting this update and taking all the credit!
Thbbt!
Normally,
I wouldn't respond to something
like this, but it's on a major news site and paints the DQ/DW
fans in a poor light, so I felt the need.
While I've been
a part of this community since practically the beginning, I wouldn't
go far enough to consider myself a "fanboy." Sure I've
been fortunate enough to meet and work with some great people through
this site, but I don't live DQ every minute of the day. If you need
monster variables from DQ III, there's a good chance I won't know!
Besides my enjoyment of the series, one reason why I stick around
is because, for the most part, the fans are friendly and welcoming,
while avoiding the ugliness so many franchises and sites attract.
To write off
any comment regarding localization as "nerd rage" is unfair
and misses the point. When I reference Sealab, moustache rides,
trendy surfer teens, and pimp slapping all in one paragraph, I would
hope people understand that's tongue-in-cheek. Many games
only simply translate the text, and that's unfortunate. It's all
about telling a story. You want it to flow smoothly, have characters
with their own distinct voice, and engage the player to stick with
it until the end. At the same time, you should remain faithful to
the source. That's not canon dictated by fan translators. It's being
faithful to what the creators intended them to be.
DQ IV is a fan
favorite and already had solid and faithful (especially for its
time) localization. Dialects aside, the DS version has several chunks
where they threw out the script and decided to write their own story.
Do the music and character designs of Monbabara strike you as French?
It's not so much a simple name change that causes the frustration.
It's the feeling that they're changing the story into something
it was never intended to be. Given the reaction to IV and the weariness
it's given V, it wasn't for the best.
A sloppy translation
is certainly not better than no translation at all. If you're going
to do it, make sure to do it right. I've always been for the happy
medium. Nobody has ever complained about changing Hoimi to Heal.
There are valid points to the user friendliness of the new spell
names though. Sometimes a name change like Papas nixes the joke
or word play. If a name is overtly Japanese, like Kukule or Ojiron,
then an edit to fit the setting is fine. What was so wrong with
Santa Rosa that warranted the change to Roundbeck? It just seems
like extra, unnecessary work. Millions already love these stories,
so localization need not worry about changing so much for the North
American fans to love it too.
It all comes
down to customers feeling like they're getting an inferior product
to the Japanese original, rather than being ungrateful. Personally,
I feel there's no better example than DQ IV. There was virtually
no change in the script from the English build discovered in the
Japanese release. Not only was the party chat left unfinished and
disabled, but the interface suffered too, altering the layout and
creating a useless command. There was no rhyme or reason for it,
let alone the 10 month delay.
Square Enix's
dedication is also questionable. Promotion dwindles with every release.
DQ IV's credits list around 20 PR and marketing staff for one print
ad, a basic web site, and two asset packs totaling six megs. Everyone
enjoyed the comics on Square Enix Members. Unfortunately, compared
to the features most games receive, some six months after release,
it was paltry. While the European branch has been releasing screen
shots from DQ V over the past couple months, we're just now getting
assets without a campaign in sight. That's just a taste of the frustration
DQ fans have experienced post-merger.
Never have I
said I wouldn't purchase an upcoming release or persuaded anyone
else to do the same. Still, if one feels the changes detract from
the overall enjoyment, that's their choice. If by some miracle,
Square Enix actually listened to its fans by toning down the dialects
and edits to please fans old and new, that's fantastic and hope
they continue to do so. The series can only benefit. If they continue
with sub par promotion and make heavy edits that annoy fans and
knock them in reviews, the blame hardly only rests on the fans.
-The
Dwaine
|
|
OK,
Funky Ferret is great. Mental Pitcher is good too, but I don't
see what was so wrong with Mad Plant.
...Wait a second.
Pankraz? Pankraz?!
Seriously,
SEI? Are you going to go dialect crazy again and make him
into an Italian stereotype too? That man? THAT MAN IS PAPAS!
King of Granvania.
Beater of ass! Try to change his name and Papas will go upside
your head with the pimp hand. Think he'll give you a mustache
ride after this slight? Think again. You don't do this to
a man who lost his wife and wore seashell necklaces years
before they became trendy! 'S wrong with you?
|
-The
Dwaine
Are you ready for
a big 'ol load of updates? Hold on, here they come in Chrono Triggerlogical
order!
A
North American release date for Dragon Quest V for the Nintendo
DS has been announced. Mark your calendars for February 17th
for you to visit your local game store, ask for a copy, and be told
it's not in yet and will arrive tomorrow. SEI put out a logolicious
logo...
...But Square Enix Europe
(SEE?) tossed out some screen shots! Looks like 'Cho Nuff retained
his name. Nothing on DQ VI yet from either side of the world, but
I'm sure we'll see something soon since they're pushing DQ IX at
the moment.
|
|
|
|
|
Come
Sail Away
|
Kitten
Rescue
|
It's
the debug menu, people!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Barrel
Vomiting
|
Gambling
Addiction
|
Getting
a mirror to commit regicide!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Burrito
Day at Zenithia
|
Vote
for Sancho
|
Yea,
the cursor's back!
|
As
Dragon Quest IX's March 28th release draws closer, more tidbits
are being released almost every week. The
official web site launched today. Not only do you still get
to see that wonderful Tokyo Game Show trailer, but it covers most
of the basics.
Much
like Dragon Quest III, DQ IX will be taking full advantage
of character customization. Once you pick your hero's gender, you
get several faces and hairstyles to choose from. Only the initial
job classes have been revealed, so you'll be starting out as at
least a knight, fighter, thief, priest, or mage. More classes like
dancer, monster tamer, and jester are sure to follow. Since familiar
locations like Ludia's Tavern and the Dharma Temple are returning,
your choice won't be set in stone. Instead of building your classes
through a set number of battles, Dragon Quest VIII's skill
points have returned. With each class having his or her unique skills,
this allows for all sorts of mixing 'n matching. A master of swords
or a jack of all trades, it's all up to you!
Everything
else you'd expect in a DQ game will be found too. Smashing everyone's
ceramics, exploring all day and night, etc. When first announced,
players fought monsters similar to Zelda. Now it's similar to scout
monsters in VIII and encounters in DQM: Joker. Monsters bounce
about the world map. When you sneak up on them, or they see you
and lunge forward, you enter the traditional turned based bout.
As always,
there'll be merchandising! Merchandising! Where the real money from
the game is made. There are your standard guide books, pencil boards,
jigsaw puzzles, and PVCs. Hey, what's this? A nifty DSi cover, a
pair of slime headphones, and plush slime DS stand! They're sure
to be disgustingly expensive, but might be worth it.
Thanks to
ITMedia's +D Games
and Gigazine
for the news and images! You can see them in full size there. Oh,
by the way, if anyone can get me a nice, high quality scan of that
guide book/puzzle cover, I'd love you forever. (Forever ever?) Forever
ever.
Now
onto Dragon Quest X. Wait, what? Oh yeah, IX hasn't even
hit yet but Square Enix held a press conference last night and announced
DQ X for the Wii. Unlike IX's announcement, there isn't a logo,
concept art, or teaser trailer yet. I expect we'll see those a little
after IX. Hopefully the online adventuring will be online as opposed
to local in IX... and look like IX's trailer.
As
you'd expect, more screen shots 'n artwork are on the way, but you'll
have to wait for the new design. Will get this site back to full
speed once a certain project is finished.
-The
Dwaine
