Dragon Quest is a series that has almost remained fundamentally the same throughout its long history; it’s kept the same battle screens, the same mechanics, the same monsters and the same art style and has kept a tight grip of the same turn-based RPG core gameplay. The saying don’t fix what isn’t broken comes to mind and for good reason. Dragon Quest is a consistent performer for the most part in terms of sales (in Japan at least) and quality so why change the winning formula?

A testament to just how much of a winning formula Dragon Quest contains is the sheer popularity of the series in Japan, it’s no longer just a game but a national treasure and can even be called a pop culture symbol. As well as selling millions of games Dragon Quest also holds the honour of the first game to inspire a ballet, so why hasn’t the Dragon Quest series captured the West in quite the same manner?

Dragon Quest IX offers a vibrant and varied 3D world to explore.

Dragon Quest IX continues with religious themes set by past titles in the series, players take up the role of a celestial (who is created by the player via a number of customization options offered at the beginning of the game) who is put in charge of a small village and tasked with protecting the people the village, aiding the villagers rewards a celestial with benevolessence which is then offered up to the Great World Tree which situates within the sky. The player finds them self offering up the last few required benevolessence for the Great Tree to bloom however when the try blooms everything goes to hell and the players celestial finds them self awakening in the village he/she once protected and discovers he/she has lost their wings and halo. This is where the game becomes instantly familiar to veterans of the Dragon Quest series. The world in which Dragon Quest takes place is filled with the traditional elements you would expect to see in a Dragon Quest game, from the eccentric NPC who inhabit the villages and towns to the creative and kooky creatures who roam the lands. The core gameplay is completing side quests and burning through the main story line, both of which involve interacting with NPCs and performing quest which consist of fetch quest, killing quest and the like. The quests may sound quite repetitive on the surface however they are far from it, the Dragon Quest charm has a strong presence which instantly pains a smile to a players face. The quests mange to stay fresh by also delivering comedic elements into some of the NPCs. It’s at this point it becomes clear that the localisation is top notch as no part of the script feels awkward or unnatural  .The main story its self doesn’t stand out as anything particularly epic but it does however offer the Dragon Quest charm and traditional themes you would come to expect from such a fruitful game series.

With questing comes exploration and Dragon Quest IX offers a vibrant and varied world to explore. The locations range from small villages to large forests and of course the odd dungeon, all of which are well designed and well detailed   a broad pallet of colours mixed with the 3D visuals and detailed character models create a world that is a treat on the eye. While exploring the land and carrying out quests it’s only a matter of time before you meet the enemies that inhabit the world and this is where players will encounter a change to the Dragon Quest series, gone are the days of random monster encounters which provoked a sense of grinding in past titles. Instead of random encounters Dragon Quest 9 opts to place the enemies on the world map which allows players to sometimes avoid conflict all together or engage enemies by walking into them, this removes any frustration that may stem from being attacked within quick concession that occurred at times with the random encounter system as well as this the new encounter system also frees up the game allowing it to feel more fluid and more welcoming to explore.

Dragon Quest IX is a fantastic traditional JRPG that bucks the trend of over bearing cut scenes and instead offers a charming experience that is both extremely enjoyable both in single player and multiplayer.

Combat its self remains as traditional as ever with the enemies lining up and facing the camera as they have done through Dragon Quests long lifespan, also sticking to tradition is the combat system, there isn’t any attempt to upgrade the system with new mechanics in the same way other JRPGs have tried e.g. Resonance of Fate, Final Fantasy 13 and instead sticks with turn based system that allows players to take their time thinking out their next move and overall strategy in each battle. This combat system may seem dated to some but for most part quite refreshing change from the current trend of JRPG’s trying to reinvent turned based combat.

The player takes up the control of all four parties’ members (assuming they are not playing with a friend via Wi-Fi) and chose the skills and abilities to use in combat; there is no set time limit in between turns allowing for a player to think out their next move or weigh up the options open to them.  There is also the option to set the mentality of the bots during single player, so for example you can set one bot to focus on healing and another to focus on attacking which this however does mean the bots will select their own skills and attacks during combat but does offer a easier gaming experience . The combat system won’t do anything to draw in gamers who have already gained a dislike to JRPG’s combat but for most part Dragon Quest 9 delivers on the combat front with its traditional take that offers a number of skills and abilities that all are carried off with fluid animation and great visuals. Unlike past Dragon Quest titles which normally required some degree of grinding to overcome certain enemies Dragon Quest 9 is more lenient and is overall easier than past instalments. This easier difficulty may be off putting to some veterans of the genre but it does however allow new comers to the Dragoon Quest series and indeed genre to ease into the gameplay.

Defeating enemies rewards the party with experience points which of course are needed to level up, levelling up in Dragon Quest opens up the ability to put points into certain weapon specialisations which in turn make a character more effect with a weapon and also opens up the ability to learn new skills.  A class system opens up a bit further into the game which allows you to pick from a range of classes which will affect your characters performance in certain roles such as healing or damage dealing.

Experience points are not the only thing a player will require during their time in Dragon Quest 9 as equipping your character and indeed your party with items is a key part to the game. Items such as armour and weapons can be found in chests dotted around the world as well as being dropped items from defeated enemies. The range of items with Dragon Quest IX is quite impressive; weapons and armour all look wonderfully detailed and look great on the in game character models, this allows for each character to look unique.  The sheer amount of items within Dragon Quest IX will offer collecting hounds plenty of replay value as they search for the best items within the game.

This biggest addition to Dragon Quest 9 is the multiplayer aspect. Using local Wi-Fi players can group together to tackle Dragon Quest in a group of four, the option to team up with bots is still open while online but is not as satisfying as playing with friends. A handy option included in the multiplayer section of the  game is the ‘Call to Arms’ feature which allows the host to instantly summon all players within the world to your location making travel and exploration a more than welcoming option while playing with friends.  Combat is fluid even in multiplayer and any delays normally come when a friend is taking their time to select their combat action. The rewards on offer by playing with friends in multiplayer come in the shape of more fun while playing, more experience points for your character and in the even your party up with friends who are further on in the game you’ll be able to bag yourself some   powerful items to take back to your game save and story point. However Dragon Quest 9’s multiplayer isn’t flawless; the only way you can play with your friends is via local Wi-Fi as there is no online option which then leads to the issue of gathering your friends in one place in order to play with them which isn’t awfully practical. However gathering with friends to play Dragon Quest 9   is a wonderful experience as tactics are discussed and items are shared out as too is the wonderful Dragon Age charm. A other issue with Dragon Quest is that seems to be designed with multiplayer in mind, the bots that fill the spots in your party in the single player have zero personality which can somewhat take away from the single player experience, this may not be a major issue but it is a niggling issue throughout the game.

Dragon Quest IX is a fantastic traditional JRPG that bucks the trend of over bearing cut scenes and instead offers a charming experience that is both extremely enjoyable both in single player and multiplayer. The world of Dragon Quest IX is both welcoming and full of witty banter that is sure to bring a smile to the face of any gamer, combat is traditional is every sense but never the less is a joy to play. Although Dragon Quest 9 doesn’t do anything ground braking it does everything else with a classic touch and finesse creating a fantastic gaming experience that is a must buy for  any Dragon Quest fan or JRPG fan, new comers to the series will find it highly accessible and enjoyable. Multiplayer adds a whole new dimension to the game and offers many a fantastic social playing experience.

Thanks to Nintendo for providing us with a reviewer copy.

This news however is only a small number to numerous fans. Many people think that the Nintendo DS family will break the big record of Best Selling Games Console, currently held by Sony’s Playstation 2. With the new 3DS planned for 2011 too, this doesn’t seem so ridiculous.

With the PSP selling in such small numbers and the iPhone barely being seen as a competitior, it’s going to take a lot to knock the Nintendo DS off it’s top spot!

The most surprising thing about this new Pokémon is the format it will appear on, with the recent announcement of the 3DS it would be fair to assume Pokémon Black and White would appear on that format – but at this time we don’t know if that will even be compatible with DS games. However we don’t have to worry about that just yet as Black and White will appear on the DS.

Initiaitially launching on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS, however, the Wii and DS versions will be “significantly different” as they were developed seperately. Apparently Co-Op gameplay will feature along with a 1992 SNES remake on the Wii version.

The game moves away from the style of the 2008 game and goes back to the older games on the Playstation 2. It is set during the gap between The Sands of Time and Warrior Within.

Information around this game has been kept very scarce so there’s a lot to look forard to. You’ll just have to wait until it’s release, alongside the upcoming film, this May to get your chance to play it.

With 2 4.2″ screens, 93% bigger than those on the DS Lite, the DSi XL is targeted at those who prefer to use their DS in the house than on the bus. The screens will also be brilliant for those who find it hard to read smaller text or for those who just want their favourite characters a little bit bigger. The DSi XL also comes bundled with a stylus that resembles a pen to make it more comfortable and natural to use.

Set to cost around $189.99, the DSi XL is a slight price increase over the original DSi but you’re probably paying for that little bit extra in materials and screen. The console is available for pre-order in most good games retailers now.

Although no consoles have been confirmed, EA say that it will come to both console and handheld so Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP and DS are the main ones to look for and all very likely. The game is scheduled for a Q3 2010 release so July, August and September are all possibilities with the obvious chance of delay.

Nintendo, you’re starting to look like EA and their sports franchises; give us little new stuff each year for a full price of admission. DS to DS Lite was semi-reasonable. Adding cameras and a better interface for the DSi and no DSi specific games was kinda silly. Yet I bought both upgrades. Now this? Here’s a better idea, get your shit together and when you have a bunch of ideas to implement, do it all at once. Especially with more people out of work, we can’t afford the $200 a year. You’re not Apple, your Nintendo!