Dragon Quest X’s Next Expansion, Dragon Quest XI Announced for the West, & More!

Square Enix has officially announced the fourth major expansion (or rather, "version") of Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online titled "5,000 Year Journey to a Faraway Hometown Online", during the Dragon Quest Summer Festival 2017 in Tokyo on Saturday, August 5th, 2017. It will launch for Wii U, PC, PlayStation 4, and Switch on Thursday, November 16, 2017 in Japan for 3,800 yen (approximately $34.33 USD).

Pre-orders are available now apparently via the Square Enix e-Store. Japanese players who have previously purchased the Dragon Quest X: All-In-One Package, which includes Version 1, Version 2, and Version 3 of Dragon Quest X, from the Square Enix e-Store, will receive a 500 yen discount (approximately $4.52 USD) coupon to purchase the all new Version 4 update.

Image by Gematsu

Square Enix has also announced "Dragon Quest Rivals", a card based battle game which will be released for iOS & Android (in Japan) sometime this fall, and they have also stated that a PC version, currently in development, will also launch sometime soon.

Additionally, the publisher announced that the original Dragon Quest and Dragon Quest II will be available digitally for PS4 and 3DS in Japan on Thursday, August 10, 2017 for 600 yen (approximately $5.42 USD) and 850 yen (approximately $7.68 USD), respectively. Dragon Quest III will arrive later that month for 1,500 yen (approximately $13.55 USD).

The franchise's latest installment, Dragon Quest XI: In Search of Departed Time (or Echoes of an Elusive Age), launched last month in Japan and has sold incredibly well. Perhaps even more exciting is that Square Enix has confirmed that DQXI will be coming to the west in 2018.

Additionally, there is an early-access demo for Dragon Quest X on PS4 via a "Spell of Restoration" code (entered through Dragon Quest XI) which provides access to the demo available on Thursday August 10, 2017.

Players simply enter the Spell of Restoration code of “あすとるていあへたびだとう” to access the additional content. The demo is now available for download, but it’ll be available to play from Thursday, August 10, 2017 at 12:00pm JST through Wednesday, August 16, 2017 at 11:59pm JST.

Author's Note:
If you want to let Square Enix know that you want Dragon Quest X to be localized, please send a letter to:

SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.
SHINJUKU EASTSIDE SQUARE
6-27-30 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku,
Tokyo 160-8430
JAPAN


Works Cited
S. (2017, August 06). Dragon Quest X’s Early-Access Demo For PS4 To Be Available Via Dragon Quest XI Spell of Restoration. Retrieved August 06, 2017, from http://www.siliconera.com/2017/08/06/dragon-quest-xs-early-access-demo-ps4-available-via-dragon-quest-xi-spell-restoration/

S. (2017, August 06). Dragon Quest X’s Next Expansion Announced, Launches November 16 In Japan. Retrieved August 06, 2017, from http://www.siliconera.com/2017/08/06/dragon-quest-xs-next-expansion-announced-launches-november-16-japan/

Osborn, A. (2017, August 06). Dragon Quest X Expansion, Rivals Card Game, More Coming to Japan Later This Year. Retrieved August 06, 2017, from http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/08/06/dragon-quest-x-expansion-rivals-card-game-more-coming-to-japan-later-this-year

Romano , S. (2017, August 06). Dragon Quest X Version 4 expansion announced. Retrieved August 06, 2017, from https://gematsu.com/2017/08/dragon-quest-x-version-4-expansion-announced

Official Dragon Quest X Concept Artwork

I just wanted to share some of the official concept artwork of Dragon Quest X with you all.

Dragon Quest X’s Development For Nintendo NX Alongside The PS4 Version - A Formula For Success

For those of you that have been reading this blog which I started back in 2011, the first post I did for the new year (2012) was regarding Dragon Quest X Online: Rise Of The Five Tribes (Dragon Quest X: Mezameshi Itsutsu no Shuzoku Online). It was a game I was eagerly awaiting here in the United States, but in never got localized. However, a recent article by DualShockers (and reposted by Siliconera), has rekindled my interest in this game due, in part, to the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu which included an interview with Dragon Quest X Producer Yosuke Saito and Director Chikara Saito, giving several updates on the state of the game.

The online MMORPG is currently in development for Nintendo NX, alongside the already confirmed PS4 version. This has me absolutely ecstatic as my friends and I can all play this on the PS4 (although, if I really enjoy this, I might purchase it for the Nintendo NX as well, assuming that I'll be picking up that console and the game makes it over to North America...)

Even if Dragon Quest X is only released in Japan, it may be possible to import a copy as the PS4 is region-free (unlike most of Nintendo's consoles which are region-locked).

Fingers crossed that we'll finally be able to play after a four to five year wait!!!




Works Cited

Nelva, Giuseppe. "Nintendo NX Version of Dragon Quest X Confirmed in Development Alongside PS4 Version | DualShockers." Nintendo NX Version of Dragon Quest X Confirmed in Development Alongside PS4 Version | DualShockers. N.p., 7 Aug. 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.

Busted by the Admins on Miiverse (BAM!!!)

So, in an attempt to increase the knowledge of those American or English speaking European posters on the Miiverse Dragon Quest X Community page, I decided to post a few links to this blog. Unfortunately, this is an apparent violation of the terms of service. Thus, I've been banned from making posts for a while.

"Miiverse Administration: You have been temporarily banned from writing messages or community posts for two weeks due to your violation of the Miiverse Code of Conduct. If you continue to violate the Miiverse Code of Conduct, you may be permanently banned from writing messages or community posts." Ironically, one of the reasons that I was banned was because Nintendo claims that:"Your posts have been removed because they contained information related to an outside service (such as a username or ID) or links to external websites that could be used to contact you directly. The sharing of personal information is prohibited by the Miiverse Code of Conduct. For information on the proper use of Miiverse, please see the Miiverse Code of Conduct. Continued violations may result in restrictions of your Miiverse account."

First and foremost, I've deliberately setup my account here on Blogger/Blogspot so that you may NOT contact me directly. This is not only my own personal preference, but a safety precaution on my own part. There are no provided e-mail addresses, no private message options, or any indication of my location or telephone numbers outside of the database that Google keeps tract of for establishing an account with them. In addition, all posts are clearly visible to third parties (thus eliminating private conversations and any potential child predator action) I have created this blog as a public forum for all ages and I intend to keep it that way. Secondly, my username is no different from the one I use on Miiverse so that argument is invalid.

I don't think Nintendo realizes how the internet works...You can take snapshots of Miiverse posts from PCs...I'm fairly certain you can do the same thing on a few smartphones as well...

Finally, the Miiverse can now be accessed by PCs and Smartphone devices, thus making it even more susceptible to watchful eyes. I'm fairly certain that people would "blow the whistle" or "raise a red flag" if they suspected a child predator of making a move. If anything, I'm rather surprised that Nintendo was able to notice my actions so quickly on the Japanese Miiverse boards. Kudos to the response time, boo to the response. I understand that Nintendo doesn't necessarily have the time nor the resources to look into every little URL that comes across the Miiverse, and that it would be impractical to run checks on all of them, but honestly? That should not limited them from at least looking into providing alternative solutions for passionate gamers that want to share their knowledge without that restrictive 100 character posting limit.

So, in the two weeks time, I probably won't be posting anything of the Miiverse, but worry not, I'll be posting away soon enough. I'm going to study for my final exams in the meantime and formulate a plan to work around this restriction on posting links. I find it absolutely ludicrous. My intentions are pure and I'm not trying to solicit anything.

Alternatively, people are just going to end up saying "Google this:___________" or Look up: "themulti-classinggamer.blogspot" (Which I did two hours ago and the post is still up). So it sort of defeats the purpose there...What's even more interesting is that although I can't sign in on a PC or smartphone at the moment, I can still access the Miiverse on my Wii U gamepad and view posts, I just can't comment or "Yeah" any of them...which doesn't seem like much of a sanction/punishment in my book...but considering my predicament, I'm not complaining...much. I intend to inform those that are interested of the amazing games that are abroad, regardless of Nintendo's ridiculously excessive and paternalistic policy. People need to know what they're missing out on. I intend to inform them.

Overall, I truly do enjoy the Miiverse community and the artistic talents of many of my fellow gamers. I'm pleased when others ask questions about upcoming titles and I love to respond with my knowledge and expertise. I'm even content with the anti-spoiler options set in place (although they are a bit of a nuisance at times...especially for the Virtual Console games you've already played...they need a "Set Default" option for all of the communities.)

I'd rather not resort to writing or calling the Miiverse staff, but if I get permanently banned for this issue, I will file formal complaints.

Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online -- Update #3 -- Gameplay Footage

If you are interested, below is a link to Saigancat's Dragon Quest X videos. He is playing the Japanese version of the game on the Wii. Now that the Wii U version is also available in Japan, I'm really pulling for this game to come overseas and hit the international market. I might post pictures of the Dragon Quest X Miiverse artwork here as well since I find it absolutely amazing what these Japanese players can create. Here are some of the most popular posts (No, I didn't just pick these because of a certain, overly emphasized part of the female anatomy, even though it is my favorite attribute...):

Fan artwork of Erinn from Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

On REALLY rare occasions, I come across Japanese players writing in English.

It's a pity I can't read or write Japanese kanji...I would really enjoy reading the comments, criticisms, or concerns of the players over there. What I do when I'm desperate, to see what's going on, is use a PC with access to Google Chrome or Google Translate and I often get a vague translation or crude understanding of what is being said. Every now and then, I come across American or European commenters also pleading for a release in their respective region and I show my support by commenting and giving them a "Yeah!". If Earthbound (Mother 2) can be given a release in this manner, perhaps Dragon Quest X will get a similar opportunity. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and my head held high!!!

For those of you that would like some more "substantial" information, Dragon Quest X hasn't sold as well as Square Enix had initially hoped. Below are the figures taken from www.vgchartz.com, one of the leading websites dedicated to providing sales data.

Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online -- Update #2 -- Number Crunch

Hello my readers!!! How are you all doing? I've found some interesting news regarding Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online.

First of all, regarding the "pushing" mechanic in battle, I've found out through Siliconera, that apparently, players are able to push their opponents into magic spells set up by their allies. I'd like to (ideally) get another source to confirm this but it does seem to make logical sense. A character's weight is determined by their body type and equipment. If your character is heavier, you can shove a monster into a spell. (One would imagine that there's some sort of limitation to maneuverability to compensate and prevent players from becoming too over-encumbered. Whether or not this is true is merely speculation on my part, but it would not seem very fair for, say, a small character such as a dwarf or kuripo to be able to push a large monster such as a King Slime and still be able to maintain their agility.)

Other than that tidbit regarding the gameplay itself, sales of the game have been a bit dismal in the sense that in it's first week of release (in Japan) only 384,061 copies were sold. This is drastically lower than the initial launch of Square Enix's previous installment, Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies for the Nintendo DS (2,338,221 units sold within the first week). Now, granted that these respective games are on completely different platforms and that one has to consider Dragon Quest X's deterrent of a required subscription fee to play online, Dragon Quest titles have a tendency to usually break the 1 million mark during the first week. For instance, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King for the Playstation 2 sold 2,267,827 units within its first week and Dragon Warrior VII for the original Playstation sold 1,821,450 units. Now, there are a lot of other factors at work with regards to the sales figures, however, I hypothesize that the true deal-breaker for most consumers was the required subscription fee to play online. It is quite possible though, that many gamers (such as myself) are looking to wait until the Wii U version is released (as many people sense that the Wii is at the end of its life-cycle and that there may be better content on the Wii U version.)

 The game does offer a somewhat limited offline mode in which you play as the main character's sibling and get to play through a separeate side-storyline, but that's only equivalent to perhaps 10 or so hours of gameplay. The rest of the game really needs to be played online and unless it's during the "Free Play" period, you'll have to shell out some cash. In Japan, the fees are as follows:






Author's Note: I highly recommend that you take a look at the links I've provided below. There's plenty of information, most of which I've only merely brushed up upon. I intend to modify and edit this particular post when I find the time.



http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressions/31378

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/31526

http://www.vgchartz.com/game/29690/dragon-quest-x/

http://www.siliconera.com/2011/12/29/dragon-quest-x-lets-you-shove-enemies-into-magic-spells/

http://www.neoseeker.com/news/20657-wii-u-version-of-dragon-quest-10-to-be-detailed-at-tgs-the-consoles-first-subscription-mmo/

On a Quest for the New Year

Dragon Quest X Online: Rise Of The Five Tribes is an upcoming massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) for the Nintendo Wii and Wii U consoles. I am eagerly anticipating the release of this title. This is in part due to my previously favorable experience with Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies for the Nintendo DS. (There is, as of yet, no U.S. released date scheduled. The game should be out in Japan sometime in 2012).  For those of you that are unaware, the series doesn't really have a linear timeline. (You don't have to play the games in order for you to understand the story. From my understanding, each game has it's own unique, separate tale.)

In any case, in the October 2011 issue of Nintendo Power Magazine (Vol. 272) it was stated that the game was announced in 2008 by Yuji Horii. There was a long period of silence however and not much was really known about the title until a September 5, 2011 conference in which Mr. Horii officially revealed that Dragon Quest X Online: Rise Of The Five Tribes would be an MMORPG that would not only be expansive but very plot driven (pg. 24, Vol. 272). (A common fear of most veterans of the Dragon Quest franchise would be that  the online story would be lackluster and unimaginative, an unfortunately common trait of most online RPGs). According to Casey Loe, the author of the article, the game itself "will be constantly shaped by the actions of other players, and an Internet connection would be required to play." She also mentioned that a monthly fee may also be a possible prerequisite for play. As far as the gameplay mechanics are concerned, apparently players will have the option of joining friends online in quests or adventuring solo with AI (artificial intelligence) controlled computer characters. Apparently, the game's structure will be similar to that of Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies as it will retain the ability to change vocations (at special shrine locations) and use skill points (pg. 18, Vol. 273).

In the follow-up article by Casey Loe, details regarding the main storyline were unveiled. Specifically, players will be able to chose from among five different races (hence the title), such as the "sprite-like" Pukuripo, Wedies (aquatic "music-loving" creatures), woodland elves, ogres, and lofty dwarves. Humans are not made initially available "as the human populated continent has been sealed away by the game's villain and it's up to the other races to liberate it." (pg. 18, Vol. 273). Based upon screenshots of each of the races and Casey Loe's description, one could make the claim that the Wedie race are comparable to that of the Zora in The Legend of Zelda universe in that both have many similarities between them (i.e. both are blue skinned aquatic races, both like music, and both have fin-like protrusions, etc.).

Finally, according to the previous article, the Wii U version of Dragon Quest X will come with "enhanced features" (pg. 24, Vol. 272).

My only concern with this upcoming game (beyond the possibility of a monthly online fee) is that the Wii version of the game may lag frequently and use up too much bandwidth. I'm hoping that my fears will be assuaged as more information is released.

Keep an eye out for this title! Also, please enjoy your New Year's celebration in moderation.

This image is property of IGN (Imagine Games Network).

This image is property of IGN (Imagine Games Network). From left to right: Pukuripo, Elven, Ogre, Wedie, Dwarf

References:
1.) Loe, Casey. "A Quest of Millions." Nintendo Power Oct. 2011: 24. Print
2.) Loe, Casey. "The Dragon's Hoard" Nintendo Power Nov. 2011: 18. Print