This week, it's time to delve into a franchise held up as a a gold standard (and creator) of Japanese RPGs. Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest has been around for 35 years. It has held firm against the notion of change, and is all the better for it. For people like me frustrated at FF always changing and mucking with formula, Dragon Quest is almost latched to and adheres to its past and relishes in it. VIII was my first foray into the franchise. While I think V and XI eclipse it in different ways, VIII stands as many's first and possibly favorite entry for a reason. Dragon Quest's PS2 offering, it gave the franchise the highest profile possible in America at time of release, and has since gone on to be yet another in the console's lineup of high quality games.
During the podcast, I slip in references to XI as well, because I am currently replaying it on the Switch. Many similarities are still present even 20 years later. But as a stick in the mud, I hate change. I wish more games were confident in knowing what they've been, stay what they've been, and perfect the formula like this. This isn't to say FF is bad for constantly being different. It just means that you run the risk of doing dumb things (cough 12&13 cough). Dragon Quest, to this point, has never had to worry about that problem. If it does change, it tries to do SPINOFF GAMES! Imagine that. Anyway, I love this game, and I hope this podcast gets that across.
Tentative schedule (based on Tuesday Dates)
February 15th: Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
February 22nd: Odin Sphere
March 1st: Madoka Magica
March 9th: Hatsune Miku Project Diva
March 15th: Konosuba
March 22nd: Anime Detour 2022 Rundown
March 29th: Chrono Cross
Game: Dragon Quest VIII
Release Date: 2004
Studio/Publisher: Square Enix
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