Dragon Quest VI: Ten Hours In

I decided to buy Dragon Quest VI the day it came out, both to register it to get bonus coins on Club Nintendo, but also because Dragon Quest IV and especially V are very rare and pretty expensive these days. I also liked those games, despite never finishing V because I didn't feel like leveling my stupid kids when I got them.

I really like Realms of Revelation so far. The battle system is very speedy, and I like the characters a lot, too. I've made extensive use of the Party Speak function, and I must say, I'm amazed how detailed it is. When you talk to any NPC, and I mean damn near just about ANY, your compatriots all have some sort of reaction to them. They are well written, too, and fit the context of the situation. I really can't think of a game besides this series that does that this well. Sure would be nice in Fallout New Vegas, for example.

I just unlocked the job system, too. I rather enjoy this version of it - I haven't really messed around with job systems in Dragon Quest games in the past, so I may not be the best for context regarding this, but I digress. It really reminds me of Final Fantasy VI and IX, to tell the truth. You give a job to your guys, and then after fighting a certain number of battles (the battles can't be scrubs, either - they have to be monsters that are roughly around your experience level) you will learn a new technique.

I love this because Dragon Quest games typically take way to long for your characters to learn new spells, because as time goes on, level ups become more and more infrequent. This negates that, somewhat - your party will learn new spells and attacks so long as you keep training them in their jobs. And any person can learn any job, so far as I can tell. I mean sure, I'm not going to teach Carver to become a Mage, but whatever - I can if I want to.

Some of these battles, though. Wow. The game hasn't been too unfair thus far (as in, I haven't come across many bosses who throw party-damaging attacks twice in a row), but there have definitely been some tough battles. Also, the encounter rate seems just a bit to high for me, but that's pretty much always a complaint of mine. I suppose its kind of the point of Dragon Quest to fight a lot. Sure could use the cash anyway.

The graphics are really, really good in this game. The improvements over Dragon Quest IV and V are pretty subtle, but player characters are better animated this time around. The game has some fantastic sprite art, as well, and it looks good when the camera zooms out for a dramatic shot. The music is pretty good, as well.

Now if only my friend would pick up Dragon Quest IX when he's done beating every Castlevania...