Grazza

Sorry dude, I didn't mean to insult you, only Burny, as I thought he was rather rude. I'm sorry you hit a brick wall at that point. Personally, I only grind in Dragon Quest games in that I run out of MP. Eg. Go through a dungeon, keep healing, but eventually run out of MP. Therefore I have to go to an inn, then go back through the dungeon again, but I wouldn't say I ever purposely grind just to get stronger (not in the main game - the post-game is a different matter). PS - There are Metal King Slimes in that dungeon. If you meet one, try the "Lightning Thrust" or "Hatchet Man" skills. I totally agree. Whilst I like what they're going for with the character models, it seems like they don't have enough grunt to pull it off. It looks like they wanted a very sophisticated form of cel-shading for the characters, but couldn't manage it (and have shaded the scenery differently too). Oh well, it could be a bad game. I'm honestly very sceptical about the whole thing. There seem to be so many compromising factors (that it's on Wii; that it needs to work online), when all I really wanted after VIII was an offline, single-player RPG on PS3-type technology. Wii U would do, but this game has already been designed for the Wii, so any improvements will be wholly superficial (but welcome nonetheless).

You only have to grind if you're a complete twonk.

I actually prefer not having a physical game (clutter)... apart from the price. At the moment I can buy something, sell it on and the experience might have cost me about £10 overall. With that in mind, I'm keen on downloadable games, but I'd only get them if they were significantly cheaper than the physical version.

I thought Wind Waker's dungeons were all very specific and memorable: Forsaken Fortress - Clearly a remote fortress. Surrounded by sea, patrolled by lantern-carrying Moblins and spotlight-operating Bokoblins. On later visits (itself a revelation), you traverse the tall tower leading up to the room where the governer surveys his prison. Dragon Roost - An angry dragon sits atop a volcano... Once Link has conquered the fiery base, he takes a tour round the clifftop paths, taking in the sea views, before fighting the Moblins at the top and finding out what the real problem was. Forbidden Forest - Like so many of the game's dungeons, it has the Great Sea on all sides. Even getting there involves you taking in your surroundings and gliding over to the main dungeon. Once inside, you are cleary in a type of forest, fighting insects and cutting vines with your Boomerang. Tower of the Gods - Even the way it appeared blows everything else away. Then there's the fact you can actually take your boat into it, before the higher parts of the tower, which involve some challenging puzzles and fights with the best Darknuts and Wizrobes yet seen. Wind Temple - A cyclone rages in the centre, allowing you to access different levels from all sides and requiring one of the best items in Wind Waker - the Deku Leaf. Earth Temple - The room with the scorpion mirrors alone was enough to make this one of the best. Finding them (by bombing the walls), dragging them into position and then using your Mirror Shield to complete the whole thing may not have been as demanding as Majora's Mask, but was even more fun than that brilliant game. ... Outstanding.

OK, OK... When I played the first Dragon Quest that was released in Europe (VIII), it was like I was playing the RPG I'd always dreamed of. Maybe "it's the best" or "it's perfect" don't describe it very well, but if you think of what an RPG should be like, Dragon Quest is that series. For a start, the tone is superlative - the exact right level between "adult" and "cartoony" (actually, I think they've gone a bit too kiddie since IX). There is not really any blood or gore, or gratuitous violence, but at the same time there is plenty of fighting, with the story often being sad, dark, uplifting or any other emotion you can think of. Koichi Sugiyama's music deserves its own paragraph. Put simply, he is the best composer in video games. Dragon Quest IX was a bit weak in this regard, but anything of his with a true orchestral soundtrack (even the "Monsters" games) shows off loads of brass and sweeping strings. Check out the soundtracks to V and VIII for his best work so far. The towns and villages in Dragon Quest have an uncanny charm, and are full of inns, houses and shops. Again, an RPG cliché perhaps, but done so well you shouldn't care. the best towns have elaborate castles to explore. If there is a game with better castles than Dragon Quest VIII, I haven't played it. I haven't mentioned the combat yet. In the games up to and including VIII, it is traditional as can be - random and turn-based. The series is abandoning random battles, and perhaps even turn-based combat, so I can't endorse X yet, but in general the series gets it just right. Combat is never too simple, yet never too complicated. As well as standard moves like "Attack" or "Defend", there are Special Moves and Spells - both very different and easy to distinguish. Obviously, spells are things like fire and ice, whereas the special moves help you do things like steal, lower enemy defence and defeat the high-defence creatures that give you the most EXP. Speaking of which, those high-EXP monsters are called Metal King Slimes, and the best recurring armour set is named after them. The Metal King Armour (Helm, Armour, Shield, Boots and Gauntlets + Spear and Sword) is technically the 2nd-best in each game, making way for something specific to each installment, but we all know it's the coolest! At the end of the day, if you want a traditional RPG where you explore large continents, fight evil (and not so evil) monsters and wear the niftiest armour; an RPG full of charm, where everything works exactly the way you'd want it to, Dragon Quest is the game to play.

Pretty sure you were a Minstrel! For the record, the confirmed vocations so far (from Dragon's Den) are: Mage Martial Artist Minstrel Priest Thief Warrior ...So I'm looking towards Warrior first of all and seeing whether I can then unlock Paladin (Warrior + Priest?) or Gladiator (Warrior + Martial Artist?) And of course, there should be Sage, Armamentalist, Ranger and Luminary too. I am doubtful they'll have "Dragon" or "Liquid Metal Slime" - hopefully we can scout one for back-up though! http://www.woodus.com/den/games/dq10wii/vocations.php That is a good point. I suppose it's all linked to if/when humans are unlocked, because the other races are all one type. It might actually be the worst of both worlds, in that the characters are generic, but not customisable. Get a PS2 and play VIII. I've no idea whether X will be any good! No, seriously, DQ X aside, this is simply the best RPG series in existence. Best tone, best gameplay, best music etc.

It's interesting that (in DQ IX, at least) Warrior has the highest Resilience, and obviously can wear all the armour, so is a good choice. Actually, DQ VI gave me new insight into what the classes really are, which combinations etc, especially as the "advanced" classes literally need combinations of other classes to unlock (eg. Sage = Mage + Priest). In Dragon Quest X, I wonder if your race determines stats (Deftness, Agility etc), and then the job gives you skills?

What race and job do people here want to take on? Personally, I like strength and being able to wear the most "armour" type clothing, so I'm going for Ogre (making a lot of assumptions there, admittedly). For a job, I like to be a Paladin (assuming it's in this game). The negative side there is they are not very "deft", so not good at stealing, critical hits or boss drops (and not agile either, so those Metal King Slimes will get away more often than not!)

The trailer brought out the Dragon Quest fanboy in me. I'm still sceptical about the combat and mandatory online, don't get me wrong, but I think I might be able to play this, even if not as much as the other games. On a superficial level, the graphics do actually look quite bad, but the good news is the Wii U version should presumably fix this, as the style itself is good. Also, the game appears to have an abysmal frame-rate, or is that just online lag?

I just don't see how I'll ever be able to complete the newer puzzles. Originals: 5x3 (15 pieces) 2nd Wave: 6x4 (24 pieces, including 4 pink) 3rd Wave: 8x5 (40 pieces, including 12 pink?) Now GAME has closed (which was the only place I could get them), I've given up. It's the pink pieces that have ruined it for me. If it was just about walking, fine... but it's not; you have to StreetPass someone who actually does Puzzle Quest. To make matters worse, they keep starting you off on boring new puzzles, like Mario Tennis, when I still want to complete Ocarina of Time!

I've only made three folders so far: * eShop and DSiWare * Virtual Console * Videos Would be better if each folder displayed an icon on it (ie. your favourite game in each one), but it's still cool.

Well, it does really, if secret passages count, which is what 'snowman is thinking of with the camera. As for the Pictograph sidequest, yes, it's brilliant, but I am one of the people who hasn't completed it fully. There are too many missables and the sculptor is indeed too picky.

Yeah, I doubt it's been on any shop shelves throughout 2012. A few online retailers make it look as though they have it, but they don't really. Anyway, these are great updates! Mighty Switch Force is still my favourite eShop title, so it's a bonus to get new levels.

Can't disagree with that. OOT may be a bit "plain", but it is a 10/10 and made Christmas 1998 outstanding.

Sony. Not that I'm a massive fan of them, but they are slightly more my thing than Microsoft, with more chance of hosting Japanese games like Ni No Kuni, for instance. Also, if Nintendo didn't exist, presumably Dragon Quest would go back to Sony, which would make it no contest for me. Actually, I could see myself switching to Apple instead if Dragon Quest went over to them.

I agree with you in principal, but that's not the reason I was apathetic towards Minish Cap. The reason I wasn't fond of it was that (in my opinion), it is not as good as Link to the Past or Link's Awakening, which I think are fair games to compare it to. Comparisons to Wind Waker are for the most part ridiculous, apart from the fact it uses the same art style, which (again, in my opinion) just cannot be conveyed in 2D and therefore, in this form, is inferior to LttP. Four Swords Adventure on GameCube remains (visually) the pinnacle of 2D Zelda, and as such should be the starting point for any future venture. Sorry to be negative, but I just thought I'd explain that. It's probably not a coincidence that Minish Cap and Skyward Sword are my two least favourite Zeldas, so let's hope Aonuma is directing the next one, not just producing!

I don't think that's right. None of the dry land Zeldas have had an overworld that is so big, free or open, with so many sidequests, things to do and places to explore. If games can be art (which they can and should), then they are about more than just completing the next objective. That's just mechanical. The sea was used to conjure up a certain atmosphere, and that's just as valid as the more gameplay-oriented aspects. It does, but that's the point. By putting Twilight Princess on the Wii, the GameCube version was negatively affected in many ways, including the beginning. The first part of the game was extended for Wii, that's for sure, and these changes were ported back to the GC version whether it needed it or not. Putting Twilight Princess on Wii = single worst thing Nintendo has ever done.

Good to see they're having another one, so certain things can potentially be addressed, leaving E3 for the huge stuff! Ah, what the heck, I'll just put out what I want to see and hope for the best: : Details/release dates for: Animal Crossing Luigi's Mansion 2 Paper Mario European localisations for: Code of Princess Rocket Slime 3 Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland Bravely Default: Flying Fairy Etrian Odyssey IV Virtual Console releases for: Dragon Warrior 1-3 Shantae Oracle of Ages Oracle of Seasons SNES and GBA added to VC ...And watch as none of it happens.

I love the beginning of Wind Waker. It has immediacy, it's easy to relate to and it has just enough story to make you care. I also think the whole premise is similar to Blackadder, in that the same characters repeat throughout time, but the specifics can be very different. Later games seem too obsessed with the series' own mythology, almost like they're saying "This is Link, the Hero of Time. He's so cool." Whereas Wind Waker is (on the surface) just the story of a boy who wants to rescue his sister.

I'm probably going to buy a PS3 just for this. Admittedly, I'm not a big anime fan, but it's irresistable to see what Level-5 can do on a powerful console.

Let's just hope we get the definitive version of Wind Waker on Wii U (and yes, with an upgraded GameCube pad too!) Considering the Wii U won't upscale GC or Wii games, I have my doubts it'd actually be as good as the Dolphin version...

First of all, I should say I much prefer sci-fi to horror, so I'm always going to prefer Metroid, if only by the theme. Secondly, I should say I've only played Circle of the Moon (completed) and Portrait of Ruin (gave up on). With that said, here are a few thoughts on what a new one should be like if they made it... - Sprites. - Metroidvania-style? Yes, indeed. One big map like Circle of the Moon. - I'm not sure about keeping the EXP system. As much as I like RPGs, I don't think levelling-up suits action games as much. One reason is that you might encounter a boss and never really know what level you're meant to be at. Could be way too hard or way too easy. Much better to have specific power-ups like Metroid's Energy Tanks and Missile Expansions. Well, that's it, only three points really! I can't pretend I wouldn'r prefer a new Metroid, but I hope you get your Castlevania, @Fused King.

Whilst I'm sorry to hear about your predicament, darksnowman, I'm really hoping Nintendo makes available HD versions of all their old games on the Wii U's Virtual Console. Of course, they should create an account system right now so we have peace of mind we'll be able download on new systems what we've already bought. That might not happen, but I know I'm hoping to build up an HD SNES (and GameCube) collection on the Wii U.

That is true. I don't think a lot of people appreciate how inaccessible the 3D games (including Super Mario 3D Land) are to casual gamers. Even the very difficult Galaxy 1 & 2 lack the intricacy of earlier games, abandoning dual-analogue and complex hub worlds. Rather than just keep making them more difficult (Galaxy 2 was ridiculous), I'd like the 3D series to go back to being fully hardcore, like Super Mario Sunshine, with dual-analogue, exploration etc. The "casual" gamer (sounds snobby, but it's still a useful term) will never truly "get" 3D Mario, so I'd rather they went back to what Mario 64 and Sunshine were like. This does, however, mean we probably won't see that sort of game at launch any more. However uninspiring another New Super Mario Bros may be, Nintendo would almost be mad to launch the Wii U without one. Let's just hope the Mario on 3DS is actually 2D (not 2.5D) and that there are lots of other Wii U games at E3.

Very nice article here about the best Game Boy (and GBC games): http://www.gamesradar.com/best-game-boy-games-all-time/ It's made me want an awful lot of them on the Virtual Console.