NDSPOWER

When DQM Joker was first released it sparked my interest in the DS and is pretty much the sole reason that I purchased my Nintendo DS. I cannot remember how long I was waiting anticipating the release but it seemed like a long time back then. I am actually writing the review for Joker long after I have finished the game and I’m pretty much done with Joker now.

Aside from Joker I have tried a few hour of the original Dragon Quest Monsters. Although I love DQ games I have to admit the Monster series really lacks effort and creativity in the plot. It’s almost expected back in the game boy color era but I expected a little bit more from a DS game. After all this was the DQ game that had to follow the beloved DQ8 that was released on the PS2. So unfortunately Enix just didn’t deliver on this aspect of the game. It’s not the end of the world, after all these games are more about collecting monsters right?

The graphics are beautiful for the DS. Every island has it’s own full 3D environment you can run around it and the monster designs transferred to the game well. With out a doubt DQMJ has some of the best graphics you will find on the DS to date.

The sound is typical to the Dragon quest series but I didn’t find the songs as pleasant and the original DQ Monsters game or the main series. I’m not going to knock it down to much I never recalled being annoyed with the music but I didn’t remember it either.

The game play is pretty fun. You can run around in a full 3D environment exploring the sites and you will suddenly be placed into old school random turn based battles. The battle system is basic so most of the game addictiveness and focus will be on synthesizing new monsters and build the best spells and abilities int he game. The game play is decent and when you mix that with the color monsters of the DQ world you can have a lot of fun in DQMJ.

The game suffers from a few flaws that even hardcore Dragon Quest fans will not be able to ignore. The most important thing for you to know is that their are no random generated Dungeons like in the original monsters and the core story is fairly short. Even tho we have the option to stick around and synthesis your heart out. I found that the current in game dungeons did not offer monsters of a high enough caliber to continue searching, capturing and so fourth. They really should have had a few more level with much much much stronger and higher level monsters in the game. The game allows you to create high level stong monsters but we really don’t ever get to fight them. It would be really nice to face Gem slimes and other brutally high level baddies long after the story telling was over.

While the game lasts it is fun and i would love to see another DQM release for the DS but I really hope they crank up the content or leave us with some random high level monsters and dungeons at the end of it all. A few more memorable boss battles would be nice two. All I can say about DQMJ is that it was not the DQ experience I was expecting. It wasn’t bad, but this is Dragon Quest! I expect the best!

Rating: 7/10

DS Reviews, Dragon Quest dragon, Joker, Monsters, quest

by Chris Photinopoulos

It’s not to often that the title “Dragon Quest” and the abbreviation RPG are found separate from each other. Rocket slime is a very unusual spin off from the typical turn based RPG style Dragon Quest offers. We are presented with a more action adventure style game with the same monsters, artwork and style that Dragon Quest offers.

You play the role of a small blue slime named Rocket who has the ability to stretch out and sling shot himself, jump, bounce off objects, stretch his body to float in air,  bump object or enemy’s into the air catching them on your head and throwing them as weapons. Some of the objects are used as tool to access new areas or offer enhancements to the game combat amongst other things.

The storyline is simple. You live in a village of slimes and it is invaded by some monsters. All the slimes were kidnapped except for rocket so it is his job  to save the slimes and rebuild the village with the help from a magical item called the “warriors flute”. So as you progress you will save slimes, encounter new monsters and items.

Although you will face enemy’s as you search the island for your friends you will also encounter “Tank Battles”. The warrior flute that I was talking about summons a giant slime tank and you will have it use to defeat enemy tanks. Tank battles are simple and fun. The tank is equipped with a cannon that shoots high and a cannon that shoots low. It also has ammo dispensers, hit points and an engine room which is the key to victory or defeat. As the enemy’s shoot items at you, you collect items that you have gathered through out the world and shoot them back at the enemy tank so the strategy is based on the types of items and timing the cannons just right. You can also fire yourself or your crew members at the tank which I find amusing. If you successfully land inside the tanks you can sabotage them and even fire their own crew over to your tank.   It keeps the  game interesting as you explore and all the items and some friends  you collect as you progress can be used as ammo in this giant slime tank. To mix it up even more you can also combine items to produce more powerful ammo for the tank.

With everything considered Dragon Quest Heroes Rocket Slime is a fantastic spin off of the Dragon Quest series. It offers a blend of action adventure and keeps you playing by offering you friends to save, tank upgrade, new crew members and ammo combinations. This game is very addictive and fun.

Score: 9/10

DS Reviews, Dragon Quest dragon, quest, review