"The Adventurer's Miracle" Dragon Quest X Animated Shorts - "The Feeling of a Name"

Image by Gematsu

In April of this year (2017), Square Enix chose three winning submissions for a project, called “The Adventurers’ Miracle.” Essentially, users would submit entries based on real events inspired by Dragon Quest 10 that affected their lives. This was a pitched idea from Dragon Quest X Producer Yosuke Saito in December of 2016 in order to explore how those fantastic virtual worlds we've come to explore can make an emotional impact on us as players and as people in general.

The first episode in the series comes from a player whose character name in the game is Yukina, who wrote in with a submission titled “The Name of Feelings” or "The Feeling of a Name”. Her story is about how a family honored the memory of their oldest daughter, Yukina, through their in-game characters.

The anime short aired today (August 7, 2017) during the Dragon Quest Summer Festival celebration.The episode alternates between real, in-game footage and animated original scenes. The roughly seven minute presentation shows that Dragon Quest 10 has to much more to offer than one might expect and it can not be broken down into merely fighting monsters, crafting gear, or taking on epic level quests. It is also an emotional experience unlike any other.

In the animation, a young girl watches her parents enjoy the in-game fireworks celebration for what appears to be Dragon Quest X's fourth anniversary celebrated on August 2, 2016. She subtly points out to her father that it looks like everyone has gathered to celebrate Yukina’s birthday. Yukina is the name of her mother’s character, but in a flashback viewers learn that she was named after their eldest daughter, Yukina, who had passed away. The flashback scene is from four years before, when the mother is creating her character on the old (and now discontinued) Wii version of the game.

A one year time skip occurs and we see the girl's father at a cafe, chatting in Dragon Quest X via his laptop, where he proposes to his online friends as his Weddie character (named Yuuri), the idea his daughter mentioned only a year prior, the notion of celebrating Yukina's birthday in-game. On August 2, 2017 (as depicted by the calendars), the family is gathered once again to watch the fireworks celebration for the game’s (now) fifth anniversary. It is then that everyone watching the fireworks display begins to wish Yukina a happy 15th birthday, bringing tears to the surprised mother’s eyes. Had she been alive, Yukina would have turned 15 years old that day. It's a subtle gesture, but a tear-jerkingly heartfelt one nonetheless.

The entire series has been created in an effort to celebrate Dragon Quest 10’s recent fifth anniversary. After the airing of the video, many of the hosts, developers and even some of the guests on stage were holding back tears.

MMOs allow players to connect with distant family members or friends, and regardless of distance, these games foster brotherly bonds, rivalries, and camaraderie through play. These can lead to life-changing events like marriage or tributes to those that we have come to know and have lost.

As previously indicated, two more of these shorts are in development. The second will be titled “Beyond Time and Space, Meet me in Astoltia” (Astoltia is the name of Dragon Quest X‘s world) and will come in the fall later this year. A third episode will soon follow sometime afterwards.

The video will be featured below.

Works Cited
Frank, A. (2017, August 07). A Dragon Quest 10 anime is the most tearjerking thing you'll watch today. Retrieved August 07, 2017, from https://www.polygon.com/2017/8/7/16109212/dragon-quest-10-anime-short

Nelva, G. (2017, August 07). This Dragon Quest X Anime Short Will Hit You Straight in the Feels [UPDATED]. Retrieved August 07, 2017, from http://www.dualshockers.com/dragon-quest-x-anime-short-straight-feels/

Romano, S. (2017, August 07). Dragon Quest X anime short Episode 1: 'The Feeling of a Name'. Retrieved August 07, 2017, from https://gematsu.com/2017/08/dragon-quest-x-anime-short-episode-1-feeling-name

Dragon Quest X & Dragon Quest XI Crossover Event

Dragon Quest XI: In Search of Departed Time's release launch is drawing close in Japan (Expected to arrive on Saturday, July 29, 2017). As such, Square Enix is celebrating alongside the franchise’s previous iteration, Dragon Quest X. This event will start on Friday July 14, 2017 and end on Monday, August 14, 2017. The Dragon Quest XI character Silvia will appear in Dragon Quest X for a limited time. Engaging in conversation with Silvia will grant players a fabulous parade outfit, which you can see in action in the video towards the end of this post. Square Enix has released a Dragon Quest XI video showcasing the parade in-game.

The second part of the event will start on Saturday July 29th and end on Wednesday, November 15th. In Dragon Quest X players will use Dragon Quest XI‘s “Spell of Restoration” passwords to receive reward items. These unique items include a pet yocchi, a Dragon Quest XI poster and character figurines for the in-game housing, as well as a rather "engaged" gesture featuring a magazine (visible in a video located towards the top of this post). Gamers will have to approach a member of the Yocchi tribe at an in-game church in order to redeem the codes. The second part of the event is expected to run for a total of 110 days from the start date to the end date (or 3 months, 18 days including the end date). This leaves players with plenty of time to partake in the festivities. Apparently, the "Incarnation of Time" Kerucchi will also be making an appearance sometime during the commemoration.

Dragon Quest X will launch in Japan on PS4 on Thursday, August 17th, while the Switch version will release on Thursday, September 21st. It’s already available on the Nintendo Wii (services discontinued), PC, Wii U, and on the Nintendo 3DS, Apple iOS and Android mobile via streaming.

As always, you can read all of the latest Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online posts here.

Works Cited

Duine, E. V. (2017, July 08). Dragon Quest XI details Silva's parade gameplay clip. Retrieved July 08, 2017, from http://www.novacrystallis.com/2017/07/dragon-quest-xi-details-silvas-parade-gameplay-clip/

Nelva, G. (2017, July 07). Dragon Quest XI Gets Fabulous PS4 Video Revealing Crossover Events with Dragon Quest X. Retrieved July 13, 2017, from http://www.dualshockers.com/dragon-quest-11-ps4-video-crossover-event-10/

Romano, S. (2017, July 07). Dragon Quest XI 'Silvia's Parade' gameplay. Retrieved July 13, 2017, from http://gematsu.com/2017/07/dragon-quest-xi-silvias-parade-gameplay

Dragon Quest X (Upcoming PS4 Version) Update and Beta Test Announcement!

Next month in Japan marks the release of the PlayStation 4 version of Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online. Square Enix shared a brand new trailer (depicted below) that highlights scenes from the MMORPG title on PS4. The new “All in One Package” edition of the game, features enhanced visuals with improvements on facial textures and other parts of the game with 1080p resolution and 60fps performance on PS4 (which is a great improvement when compared to the original Wii version). It also contain the game’s first three expansions, or rather "versions" since it was launched back in August 2, 2012.

Dragon Quest X releases in Japan on August 17, 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Fall of 2017 (estimated September 21, 2017) for the Nintendo Switch. Both of which are priced at 4,800 yen (approximately $42.14 USD). The game is currently available on Wii U, PC, iPhone, and Android.

PlayStation 4 users will need to pay about 1,500 yen a month for five characters and the Switch version will cost around 1,000 yen (approximately $8.78 USD) to 1,500 yen a month (approximately $13.17 USD) for three to five characters.

A beta test for both versions was announced, and it will go live from Wednesday, July 19, 2017 through Thursday, August 10, 2017. Unfortunately, the Beta test application period ended Saturday, June 10, 2017 at 23:59.

The link to the BETA test can be found here: http://www.jp.square-enix.com/DQXBETA2017/

In order to participate, users must:

• Have a PlayStation® 4 / PlayStation® 4 Pro or Nintendo Switch ™ main unit 
• Have 16 GB of free space in their PlayStation® 4 / PlayStation® 4 Pro HDD
  
  OR:
• A Nintendo Switch ™ Main unit storage memory or microSD card with 16 GB of free space
  
  In addition:
• There must be an environment where you can connect to the Internet 
• Users must have a Square-Enix account
  
  If Nintendo holds up on their claim that their console is region free, the earliest Nintendo Switch users could see this game is September of this year.
  
  You can read all about my past posts regarding this title here.

Works Cited
Dragon Quest X Highlights Scenes In A New Trailer For Upcoming PS4 Version. (2017, July 06). Retrieved July 08, 2017, from http://www.siliconera.com/2017/07/06/dragon-quest-x-highlights-scenes-new-trailer-upcoming-ps4-version/

Dragon Quest X On Switch Gets Its First Footage, Release Dates For PS4 And Switch In Japan. (2017, May 27). Retrieved July 08, 2017, from http://www.siliconera.com/2017/05/27/dragon-quest-x-switch-gets-first-footage-release-dates-ps4-switch-japan/

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.

The Underrated Underdog Console: Wii U

So the Wii U has been out in the U.S. since November 18, 2012. It's barely even three years old yet and people are tossing it aside like it's not worth making games for...it's gotten to the point where even Nintendo has started to convince themselves that the console is a sinking ship and that everyone should move on to the next project, codenamed: NX.

Developing software for the Wii U is a Catch-22 situation: Publishers and developers seem to think that they will not make much profit on the fledgling console, but by not developing for the system at all, Nintendo will never truly grow outside of their first party franchises.

What irritates and frustrates me the most is that these companies are often providing "half-assed" games when they do decide to contribute to the Wii U library because on the competing platforms (PC, XBOX 360/XBOX ONE and PS3/PS4, respectively) the games have all of their original features intact. As such, players that pick up a copy of the game for the Wii U are not getting the full value of what they initially paid for.

Warner Bros. for instance, did not include an online multiplayer mode for Batman Arkham Origins, while Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist has an online multiplayer mode, but no local split screen co-op.

Granted, this isn't the first instance of companies applying this "laissez-faire" (or "do-nothing") type of approach to Nintendo's platform. However, this practice has become far worse due to the sheer number of companies hopping on this informal policy bandwagon.

Treyarch, (and by the transitive property, Activision) in my opinion, is one of the worst offenders of this nonchalant apathy towards Nintendo and is guilty of making false promises on more than one occasion. This was evident during the Wii era with Call of Duty: Black Ops lack of DLC (although, that console's limitations were clearly evident) and with Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the Wii U now. It took Treyarch two years after the game was released to develop the Nuketown 2025 map, which was long overdue. Call of Duty: Ghosts by Infinity Ward in comparison managed to finally get the Freefall map several months after the other consoles received it.

Ubisoft proved that DLC was possible on Nintendo's latest hardware by offering transactions for Assassin's Creed III. Sources reported however, that these options would not be available for the latest installment of the franchise, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.

On a much more positive note, Ubisoft creative director Jonathan Morin had briefly discussed his latest title, Watch_Dogs, stating in an interview with CVG (ComputerAndVideoGames) that it is "...a beautiful game on Wii U and it's cool to play it just on the GamePad". In addition a comparison between that version and the other on PS3 and XBOX 360 was made of Morin and he claimed that "On the Wii U, you can play on the GamePad screen. There are no new features or anything like that - it's the same game, but we're optimizing the controls for the beast that is the Wii U GamePad".

So there is some hope for the Wii U considering that a few (if not many) games will have all of the bells and whistles that the other platforms come with naturally. (You can read the conversation in its entirety here.)

That's not to say that all of the blame is on the third-party developers. Au contraire! Nintendo has not exactly done an optimal job of generating public awareness of what the Wii U actually is, or what it is capable of either. Initially, many folks believed it to be an add-on to the existing Wii console (perhaps due to the name). Thus, perhaps folks viewed it as an unnecessary peripheral rather than an entirely new home console.

The sad thing is that most companies are advertising that their games will be on "next-gen" consoles, but they deliberately exclude the Wii U. As such, it's fallen into this abstract, unknown, unspoken category.

How can Nintendo get back on top? I would suggest just belting out as many games as possible. There has been a positive shift since Mario Kart 8 was released and even moreso with Super Smash Bros. Wii U. Hopefully, with the sales of the Amiibo figures, profits gained from those sales can apply to some of Nintendo's major financial losses.

How this information will affect other publisher and developer opinions remains to be determined, but it does not bode well in this economic climate. On one last positive note, Nintendo's latest intellectual property, Splatoon for the Wii U is doing quite well as a third person shooter. It's a game where characters known as "Inklings"— beings that can transform between humanoid and squid-like forms, hide or swim through colored ink sprayed on surfaces using gun or brush-based weaponry. The object of the game is not to score points via kills, but through covering territory with the most amount of ink. It's a game that has become quite popular despite the sluggish sales of the home consoles themselves.

We as gamers need to be patient and keep watching to ensure that Nintendo gets its fair share of publicity and we need to stop treating it like the third political party in an election. The more competition between the three major competing companies, the lower the prices will be for the consumer.

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.

The Pendulum Swing -- Thoughts on the Wii U (Part #2)

Hey folks! Long time no see!!! I hope all is well!!! Ok, so now that I'm done with the Fall semester of college courses, I've got a boatload of free time to make new posts!!! Ok, you got me, I'm working the holiday season so I won't be able to type as regularly as I could but nonetheless, I'm keeping this blog running till the day I croak, I'll post whatever I can, even if it's not finished, and I'll be sure fix it later.

The Gamer's Itch

So, with the Wii U now out (it officially launched in the United States on November 18, 2012) there has been a lot of buzz about the console. However, there have been some stern criticisms as well. As for myself, I've been selling many of my old Wii and Nintendo DS games that I no longer play frequently. I may provide a list of what I've sold and the amount I received from Gamestop on a later date. It's a pittance compared to what I paid for them initially, even though I tend to take pretty good care of the cartridge cases, manuals, and CD-ROMs. Nonetheless, everyone gets a fraction of what they paid for. It's most unfortunate, but it's better than nothing I suppose...Thus far I have $107.15 saved towards my next console.

The reason I say "next console" is because I'm still fearful that the Wii U is severely under-powered compared to the upcoming next-generation consoles from Sony and Microsoft. I'm feeling the pressure from my brothers-in-arms on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for the Wii because I play with a ragtag group of British players online. The guys are like a second family to me and I've added many of them on Facebook and we generally have a good time playing the game. Unfortunately, the game lobbies are plagued with hackers and glitch-abusing people that do not play honorably and as such, it's become more difficult to find an authentic and fair match. That's why we're all so excited to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (because the game is new and there is less likelihood that anyone has cracked the source code and messed with the programming). There has been a bit of a split among the guild I'm in though, especially with regard to what console we should move onto. Some players have already purchased a Wii U, while others have gone to the Playstation 3. As for myself, I'm still stuck on the fence and I really want to get my hands on the game because Call of Duty games, although not well-known for their single player campaigns, they are infamous for their hardcore multi-player experiences and high replay value.

The Wii U version in particular offers some unique gameplay elements you can not get from the other consoles on the market currently. The most significant of which is the ability to play on the U-pad almost anywhere in the house (so long as you are in range). So technically, if you were desperate, you could potentially be able to play in the bathroom while on the "throne"...

However, there hasn't been many players online on the Wii U version. I suspect that it is because the Wii U is going to be a Christmas gift for many "unsuspecting" children. Many of which will probably hop online either during or immediately after Christmas. Thus these "Christmas Noobs" will most assuredly provide a near limitless supply of sub-par competition so as of right now, I'm not that worried about the current online turnout.

It is at this time that I would like to remind parents that CALL OF DUTY GAMES ARE INTENDED FOR TEENS 17+ YEARS OLD. PLEASE DO NOT LET YOUR YOUNGER CHILDREN PLAY THIS GAME. PLEASE BE ADVISED OF THE ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) RECOMMENDATIONS. They're placed on the box cover for a reason folks. The Call of Duty franchise tends to be violent, graphic, and gory at times. I can't tell you how many children end up playing these games when they should be playing something more suitable to their age levels. Older players will rip them to shreds with vulgar language and racial slurs and the children tend to return them in full...

The Pendulum Swing -- Thoughts on the Wii U (Part #1)

Hello everyone! How are you? I figured that it was about time to do another blog post (particularly because I have some disposable time and due to the fast approaching launch of the Wii U just around the corner).

The following are my thoughts on the upcoming Nintendo console. I do not want to discourage those from purchasing the console nor overly advocate the purchase of the Wii U. You have to use your own discretion. If any of my points help in your final decision, then more power to you.

For the most part, I feel like an emotional pendulum regarding the pros and cons of the console. On the positive side for instance, the Wii U is backwards compatible with nearly all of its predecessor's titles. In addition, the Wii U also uses the Wii Remote, Nunchuck, and almost all of the other accessories as well. This is a great benefit to those that don't want to waste money on extra controllers.

However, there are also a few downsides. For example, the new tablet controller (which I will hereby dub as either the U-tablet, U-tab, or U-pad) while versatile in allowing players to play without the need for a television screen, still is limited in range from the console itself (so you can't go on a road-trip & play a game) and there is a limit of two U-tablets per console. I would imagine that if you wanted to play Call of Duty Black Ops 2 multi-player with 4 people, you might only be able to play "fair" with 3 players total because you could have two U-pads but would still need a Wii Remote controller (which requires the use of the full television screen, thus limiting the potential for two Wii Remotes & Nunchucks because playing split-screen is somewhat difficult to do and gives an unfair advantage to those who engage in the practice of "screen-watching" where you peek at your opponents screen to determine where they're at on the map) or at the very least the other two players would both need to have Classic Controllers (or the Classic Controller Pro).

As a side note, it was a terrible marketing strategy for Nintendo to make an "improved" Classic Controller by adding only two more buttons and slapping on a "Pro" label to make it seem less arbitrary. Instead of having the appearance of an SNES controller like the original Classic Controller, this one is shaped more like the Nintendo GameCube controller. It functioned in essentially the very same way as the original, but with the exception that the shoulder buttons, which were designed to be digital trigger-shaped buttons, are placed vertically instead of horizontally. The connection cord is positioned on top of the controller rather than the bottom, and the spring-loaded attachment slot underneath the original model was removed.

The Nintendo TVii concept also seems somewhat gimmicky. I don't see the point of being able to post or comment on shows & movies when people do that with little care already on social networks. Adding Facebook functionality to Nintendo TVii is just sugar-coating something that isn't really all that significant to a gamer. I'm not sure exactly how it works but, Netflix could have just been on a separate app for the console like the Netflix channel already is on the Wii, but I suppose having Hulu and your DVR devices (such as TiVo) linked up all in one place would be a somewhat significant benefit. I like the idea of Miiverse though, because you can chat with your friends and track each other's progress as well as provide hints or tips to one another.

I'm also sort of perplexed as to why Nintendo is offering a significantly hindered Wii U console (the "Basic White Set") if the black ("Deluxe set") has a feature that could've benefited BOTH models. What I'm referring to is Nintendo's Digital Download Rewards Program of sorts. Apparently, the "Deluxe Black Model" (which has 32 GB of internal memory) allows for players to earn points for every digital download they purchase to be applied towards additional add-on content or other games. Apparently, players earn approximately 10% of the price paid at the Nintendo eShop for each game and downloadable content purchased online. Points are only earned on purchases over 10 cents and at 10 cent increments. Owners of the Wii U Basic Set do not qualify for Deluxe Digital Promotion.

This feature seems to really force consumers to buy the "Deluxe Model" because the "Basic White Set" (8 GB of internal memory) does not have this sort of "customer appreciation" aspect attached to it. In fact, the Basic set is severely limiting in that for only $50 more, you could get four times the internal memory. It is almost as if Nintendo was intentionally trying to create a schism between lower and higher income families. Personally, I think that Nintendo should've made the Deluxe Model the standard, saved on production costs, and just made the only difference an aesthetic color change. I believe that all products should be made available in black. It's a sleek, stylish color, and it's been said that "black goes with everything". I hold that to be a self evident truth, but I digress. It just seems like an unnecessary division artificially created by Nintendo in order to make up for lost profits.

On the positive side, I'm FINALLY content with the launch line-up this time around, especially with the increased third party support. I'm happy that Nintendo decided to pick up Bayonetta 2 (although I don't believe that this title will be ready by the holiday season). Nonetheless, I would be more than willing to pick up a copy of the game despite having no prior knowledge of the original title's storyline.

I'm worried that since Nintendo is releasing the Wii U towards the end of this year, Microsoft & Sony will just steal/expand upon more of the innovative concepts that Nintendo has implemented and thus make the Wii U a flop. The Wii lost a lot of hardcore gamers because of the lack of third party support, decent online support, and proper processing power. As such, I felt somewhat betrayed for purchasing one with the foolish belief that it would be a worthwhile investment. Especially since Microsoft and Sony took the motion control concept and made it much more fluid. Nintendo had to sell an add-on accessory to get the Wii to have true 1:1 movement.

At this time, I'm still skeptical and somewhat hesitant of the idea of purchasing a Wii U especially considering the MSRP tag of $299.99 (£249.99,€299.99) for the Basic and $349.99 (£299.99, €349.99) for the Premium. Until I see the other new consoles, their capabilities, and I am able to make an reasonably informed decision, I will look at Nintendo with condescending glare. I'm waiting for Nintendo to really impress me amidst the competition.

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/

Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online -- Update #1 -- The Japanese Launch!!!

Hey everyone!!! Sorry for the long hiatus, but I've been rather busy as of late. Nonetheless, I have a lot of information to dive into, so let's get started:

I have an update on Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes online! Dragon Quest X was just released on Thursday, August 2, 2012, for the Nintendo Wii in Japan.


If you haven't seen my previous post regarding the game, you can check it out here. The Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) is now said to come with a 16 GB memory stick included in special bundles (it can also be purchased separately). The USB flash drive is used to save character details and other important data.


The main world, known as Astoltia (according to the NGamer Staff for NGamer Magazine and the official Facebook page) is comprised of five islands (one of which is actually a cluster of smaller, individual islands) and a central continent in which humans mainly reside.

Gamers begin their journies in Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online as a human from Etene Village. Later on, the player creates a new character from one of the five other remaining races (Dwarf, Kuripo, Elf, Wedie, or Ogre).


Players can customize their very own characters, choosing everything from gender to size, as well as naming them and altering their appearances to one's liking. In addition, the player also creates another "sibling" character, which also aids in the main storyline.


Once players have reached a certain point within the single player (offline) story mode (approximately 2 to 2 & 1/2 hours into gameplay), they will be prompted to connect online to continue play. This however, requires a paid monthly subscription in order to be granted full access. Fortunately, "Director Jin Fujisawa didn’t want that to be a barrier for long time fans of the [Dragon Quest] series". As such, there is an implementation of a "Free Play" period that lasts for two hours each day in which players of all ages can log on and play the online portions of the game without a penalty fee. According to one of Kotaku's authors, Richard Eisenbeis, there is a product code included in the game box for a free, 20 day subscription courtesy of Square Enix Co. Also worth mentioning, is that there are two CD-ROMs that are included as part of the (somewhat lengthy) installation process.

Welcome to my blog!!!

Hello!!! How're you? Welcome to "The Informed Gamer" blog. I'm a highly competitive, single, male gamer and I'm currently a full-time university student. Here I intend to discuss upcoming video games, movies, and (to a slightly lesser extent) books. I will most likely discuss the recently announced games for the consoles and devices that I myself already own. Thus, a majority of my posts will be covering Nintendo related game software. Below is a list of all of the titles I currently own (as of December 23, 2011) for the seventh generation of consoles/handhelds.


Non-Digital Nintendo Wii Games (In alphabetical order): 

1. Animal Crossing: City Folk
2. Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Traded in for Store Credit)
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex Edition (Traded in for Store Credit)
5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
6. Dragonball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
7. Excite Truck
8. Mario Kart Wii (Traded in for Store Credit)
9. No More Heroes
10. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
11. Pokémon Battle Revolution (Traded in for Store Credit)
12. Red Steel (Traded in for Store Credit)
13. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Traded in for Store Credit)
14. Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition
15. Super Mario Galaxy
16. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
17. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom
18. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
19. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
20. Wii Sports
21. Wii Sports Resort

Nintendo DS Games:

1. Animal Crossing: Wild World
2. Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes A Day!
3. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
4. Chrono Trigger
5. Clubhouse Games
6. Custom Robo Arena
7. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies
8. Drawn to Life
9. Kingdom Hearts: 365/2days
10. Kirby: Squeak Squad
11. Lost In Blue 2
12. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
13. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
14. Mario Kart DS
15. Mario Vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
16. Metroid Prime: Hunters
17. New Super Mario Bros.
18. Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword
19. Nintendo DS Browser
20. Nintendogs: Daschund & Friends
21. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team
22. Pokémon: Black Version
23. Pokémon: Diamond Version
24. Pokémon: SoulSilver Version
25. Scribblenauts: Write Anything. Solve Everything
26. Sonic Classic Collection
27. Sprung: A Game Where Everyone Scores
28. Tetris DS
29. Tony Hawk’s American Sk8land
30. Warioware D.I.Y

Non-Digital Nintendo 3DS Games (In alphabetical order):

1. Dead or Alive: Dimensions
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

I've been playing games ever since I was about nine years old. I can't quite remember exactly what my first video game experience was, but I know that it was between either The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past or Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (also known as the Super NES). I've never actually had the opportunity to play the The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but I plan on purchasing the title via the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console service at some point. I owned the console myself (as well as a SEGA Genesis), and I was very happy with both of them, but I didn't play very often. However, for my ninth birthday, I received a Game Boy Color with a copy of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe and I've been hooked on gaming ever since that day. 


By telling you a bit about my own experience regarding video games, I hope to establish some sort of credibility and basis for my thoughts. I like both Nintendo and SEGA as well as all of the other companies involved in the industry. Bottom line, I like gaming...period. I don't really wish to be labeled as a "fanboy" (an overt enthusiast of a particular system or company) because most of the games I own come from Nintendo but, I will try to maintain some sense of neutrality in my posts, if possible.

Regardless, the most incredible aspect of video games is that most of the more elaborate ones (namely role playing games) have truly compelling stories. Essentially, video games are a lot like books. They just allow you to act as the protagonist as the story unfolds. (At least that's my own perspective of them). Some of the decisions one makes are beneficial, while other have disastrous results. A person can learn quite a bit through play. Many games are surprisingly educational even though they are not intended to be categorized as such.

It pretty much goes without say that if a gamer likes video games, they probably like books and/or movies too. That's why I wish to cover a multitude of new media so as to keep you, my readers, up-to-date and well informed about potentially interesting forms of entertainment. I plan to offer my thoughts and opinions on these  titles and encourage you to do the same. I may also incorporate additional information from the news and other sources with reviews of them as well. I will have to warn you though, that I can be a tad bit cynical at times and you should use your own discretion with regard to accepting my thoughts on the matter or disregarding them completely. I may throw in a joke or two, but I'll try to keep them "PG-13".

In addition, it may be possible that I will shift my focus on this blog as it grows and "evolves" (so to speak) and as such, it may become vastly different from what it once was. I hope that those of you reading this will continue to check up on this site from time to time and offer feedback whenever possible. I reserve the right to edit, change, and/or modify any my posts (with or without notice) as I deem fit and appropriate at any given time. I heartily encourage constructive criticism and positive feedback.