Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

UPC: 662248905013

Platform: PlayStation 2

Publisher: Square Enix USA

Developer: Level-5

Category: Role-Playing

Style(s): Third-Person 3D RPG

Synopsis: Enix's internationally popular Dragon Quest saga continues in this 3D adventure for PlayStation 2. The game tells the story of a spiteful court jester who finds a magic scepter and unleashes a terrible curse, turning peasants into thorns and nobles into wild beasts. Players take the role of an unassuming castle guard who is somehow spared by this curse, although it seems to have afflicted nearly everyone else in the land. To save the kingdom, the hero must recruit allies, explore the countryside, and battle the many enemies that stand between him and his quest. Combat is turn-based, and players can customize the ways in which individual party members fight. The North American release of Dragon Quest VII features additional cut scenes and voice acting not present in the Japanese original. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 48-page Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

A well-written manual with drawings of characters from the game. It does a good job of explaining the basics while leaving many of the games' secrets for you to discover.

From the cel-shaded monster animations to the breathtaking panoramas of the world, this game pushes the limits of the Playstation 2's capabilities.

An evil wizard. A nameless hero tasked with saving the world. Fierce enemies that wait to engage him and his companions and make them...dance? Dragon Quest VIII never takes itself too seriously, while managing to deliver a deep, satisfying experience with something for every RPG fan. The tale at the center of DQVIII revolves around the cursed king of the title, King Trode, and his journey to be restored to a more human form. He and his daughter, Medea, were transformed by a maniacal jester named Dhoulmagus into a vaguely toad-based creature and a horse, respectively. Along the way, you meet up with three other companions in your quest to catch the jester, traveling through a gigantic and beautiful 3D world. As an example of the land's size, it can take a good half hour of real-time traveling to move from one city to another, not counting the random battles along the way. Speaking of which, battles in DQVIII are difficult, frequent, and always entertaining. Monsters get called away by their mothers, shift into different forms, call for backup, and even make your character dance uncontrollably -- costing you a turn, naturally. With character designs by Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball, Chrono Trigger) each monster has a character all its own, ranging from a squid that uses its tentacles as hand puppets to foxes that tap-dance. Outside battle, the bulk of the game is spent upgrading equipment, talking with NPCs, and deciphering Dhoulmagus' twisted agenda. Story segments feature full voice-overs that are splendidly done, engaging and well-acted, and certainly in keeping with the high production values of every other aspect of the game, such as the crisp, 3D cel-shaded graphics, orchestral score, and well-thought out menus, level progression and pacing. A niggling complaint is that the same score grows repetitive; another is that the same NPCs inhabit every town (though they say different things). A more nagging issue is the simplistic story that, while told with charm and verve, simply does not go beyond the typical. Don't expect the same sort of emotional connection to the characters as that experienced in Final Fantasy X, for example. Blemishes aside, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King pushes the traditional console-based RPG to its absolute limit and as such, flaws within the game are inherent to the genre itself. If you have an RPG-loving bone in your body, this game is a necessity.

With well over 100 hours of content, it's difficult to imagine running out of things to do in the game.

Wonderfully stirring orchestral score, featuring a mix of classic Dragon Quest themes and new compositions, though they get repetitive around hour 40 or so.

If RPGs appeal to you in any way, shape or form, you will enjoy Dragon Quest VIII.

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.