Thursday, April 26, 2012

Hey, Square Enix: Now that you've told us when Dragon Quest X will hit Japan, when are you going to tell us your plans for the rest of the world?

The folks at Square Enix announced yesterday that the Wii version of Dragon Quest X will hit store shelves in Japan on Aug. 2.

They also released a new, four-minute-long trailer for the game, which can be viewed below (and here).

Although it's been clear for some time that Dragon Quest X is never going to win the "Prettiest Game on the Wii" beauty pageant (no joke, I've been considering hosting one), I think it looks rather nice in motion.

I especially like the battle scenes near the end--with the one involving the crowned pink slime taking the cake.



I also love how the characters in the trailer above hop around like they've been guzzling 5-Hour Energy like it's going out of style. I can't judge, though, since that's exactly what I tend to do in games that offer up a jump button.

Sadly, Square Enix has yet to say when Dragon Quest X will be released in other regions. My guess: Only the Wii U version will make it to Australia, Europe and North America. As such, I have a feeling us westerners won't hear anything about it until E3 at least, and we probably won't see it sitting on store shelves until sometime next year.

Hopefully the powers that be at Square Enix (and Nintendo, too) will use that time to find a way to make this MMO-ish RPG's price tag a bit more palatable, since copies of the game will cost ¥6,980 (about $86) in Japan while 30, 60 and 90 days of online play will cost folks in that territory ¥1,000, ¥1,950 and ¥2,900 ($12 to $35), respectively.

(Via andriasang.com)
Posted by Bryan Ochalla
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

12 comments:

chaosyoshimage said...

Man, I forgot how excited I was about this, thanks! I don't mind having to wait for the Wii U version for a US release, as long as we actually get the game. Hopefully the work on the translation in the meantime. Not looking forward to the monthly fee though, I'm probably going to start subscribing to Star Wars: The Old Republic sometime this year, so that will tell me if I'm cut out for that sort of thing.

12:09 PM
Bryan Ochalla said...

Good to hear someone else is looking forward to this on, CYM! Most folks on line seem to hate it. I can understand wanting a wanting an offline, single-player-focused DQ -- a la every DQ game before X -- but I also think this one seems pretty interesting. Fingers crossed Nintendo handles its NA release and that they either don't charge a monthly fee or charge a very small one.

12:18 PM
Unknown said...

I am so excited. So excited.

Dragon Quest is easily one of my most favourite franchises and to see it finally skirt off to do something a little different is wonderful news.

If you want a more "classic" Dragon Quest game, well, there's already nine of them. Play them!

I think it's fitting that Dragon Quest will finally entice me into trying MMOs and I can't wait.

12:59 AM
Anonymous said...

If it plays like the previous games (I've played IX and VI and bit of VIII) then I probably won't get it. I haven't finished VI or IX because it degenerated into mindless grind for me :( Also I don't undertand how this will work with an MMO sub - how will updates work?? Will it require a large SD card?? It's why I think Wii U needs to have a hard drive, especially if they're going to start offering digital downloads of retail games, and a hard drive can support game updates etc that will be required for DQX.

2:56 AM
Viewtiful_Justin said...

That's a TON! There's no way I'd pay $144 a year for a game. Ever. I don't WANT a subscription fee, but if it's manageably priced, then maybe...but...$12 a month is far, far too much.

6:57 AM
Anonymous said...

Most MMOs are $14.99US a month (like World of Warcraft and Star Wars The Old Republic). Final Fantasy 11 if I remember is around $11 or $12 a month and that only allows you one or two character!
The thing I'm a bit confused about is how they will deliver updates to DQX? As an MMO is usually a game in flux with changes released ever so often.

7:05 AM
Bryan Ochalla said...

Alois: I'm so glad to hear someone who is intrigued by the direction this game is taking the series! So many people are upset about it, but I feel as you do: It's a good thing that its makers are trying something different. It isn't like SE is abandoning traditional DQ, as you know another one is being made. Anyway, I can't wait for this game to be released outside of Japan -- hopefully we hear more about those plans soon!

8:55 AM
Bryan Ochalla said...

Igor: Well, the overall game clearly is different from past DQs -- in that it's more MMO-ish -- but other than that I can't tell you much about how it plays.

This one will require a large SD card (16 gig at least, I think), BTW. Players can either buy the regular version of the game and supply the SD card themselves, or they can buy a bundled version that includes an SD card.

8:58 AM
Bryan Ochalla said...

Oh, I'm with you, Justin. Those subscription fees are crazy, IMO. From what I've read, they're not all that strange for Japan, though. Let's hope either Nintendo allows us to play for free in NA or that the sub fees are radically reduced. I can't see myself paying more than $50 a year to play a game such as this, and even $50 would be pushing it.

8:59 AM
Bryan Ochalla said...

Igor: Ah, you beat me to it (addressing Justin's comment)! As for how SE will provide gamers with updates: I have no idea! I'm sure they will, though, as they've already been providing those beta-testing the game with updates, from what I've heard.

9:01 AM
Viewtiful_Justin said...

That would explain why I'm not playing WoW or any other pay-to-play RPG.

9:47 AM
Bryan Ochalla said...

You and me both, Justin. I can't imagine paying so much to play a current game. (I say current, because there are times I'll pay a ton in order to play an old game, such as one for the Famicom or PC Engine!)

12:39 PM

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