Grazza

Maybe it wasn't the same people? I for one never complained Galaxy was too easy. But yeah, you've got a point - hopefully now people will realise that "difficult" does not equal "better".

Oh yes, a new B&M! Do you know if the seats rotate? I'm hoping not. Do you have any idea what the water ride will be? Also, do you think the 2016 coaster will be an Intamin? If so, what would you like? I think a Mega Lite would be brilliant.

Well, I don't know about this game, but I'm going to try and stick to Dragon Quest VIII as closely as possible. That is to say that I want No.1 to be a spear user, No.2 an axe user, No.3 a mage and No.4 a healer. It may not be possible to do it like that, but I'm going to try. I know from the more difficult boss battles in DQVIII that it's good to have a character whose only job is to heal and buff every turn. If you don't mind me asking, how did you get the European version so early? Did you just get it from a normal online shop? Are they new to this game? There may be a couple of others better than a Metal Slime too, but I don't want to spoil it for D_Prodigy.

I don't disagree with him that it's a good monster, it's just that it's not worth going out of your way for, as you should bump into loads of them anyway. Also, you're a good player, so I'm sure you could complete it with many of the monsters. Personally, I like orcs, cyclops, that sort of thing, as well as the dragons, because they can breathe fire without using any MP. Nice one! The price is a little bit steep, but handheld games have always cost a fortune after they go out of print. In terms of how good the game is, it's definitely worth that. Not to knock Dragon Quest IV, but V is the better of the two DS remakes, as "Party Talk" is in it (you can talk to your party about what's happening and where to go), the music is brilliant, the story is epic and, personally, I thought the gameplay was better too.

That's what I've just done! It's definitely an extra challenge, as Cosmic Luigi is a much more difficult adversary to race against than Cosmic Mario. On the other hand, I found the Purple Coin challenges much less frustrating. I felt like I had much more control over Luigi's jumps than Mario's. Still haven't got Star 242 on Galaxy 2 though.

I don't necessarily prefer it, it's just that sailing was the theme of the game, and it did it well.

The way I see Dragon Quest is the quintessential Japanese RPG in its purest form. They had this brilliant idea, and they're constantly trying to refine it with every game. That's why I disagree with calls (mainly from American games journalists, it must be said) for radical change in the combat and settings. Turn-based combat, grassy fields and forests just work, as do the visual and musical style. It wouldn't be Dragon Quest without them! I don't want "different", just "better" each time. That's not to knock other RPGs, it's just that nothing else feels quite as "pure RPG" as Dragon Quest. That's good to hear, as I too would have much preferred this on the PS3. Oh, I was pleased to see a free-standing Dragon Quest IX advert in ASDA tonight, it even had a joke on it - the words "Take a good look at this face... (picture of a Slime) ...it's about to become very familiar!" Hopefully this will be well advertised all round. Personally, I'm so hyped for this, I've gone back to play Dragon Quest Monsters, which I never finished, but am now really in the mood for.

It sounds like you're too good at the game! I got the impression the monsters only want to join your party if you are much stronger than them, whereas it sounds like you are much further into the game for your Level than the designers expected. You should have had far more monsters wanting to join you than that. And don't worry about the Golem - there are loads of good monsters.

Oh, that's very interesting. Thanks very much (and to S.C.G.) Here's 1Up's review of it, which I found a good read: http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3180316 And here's an interview with the producer, Ryutaro Ichimura:http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9036664 Apparently Dragon Quest VIII did well in the US, but not the remakes of IV and V (shame, as the latter in particular was excellent). Here's hoping IX does well - I'm suddenly getting very, very excited for it!

Here's a little interview with Yuji Horii: http://uk.ds.ign.com/articles/110/1105212p1.html By the way, could someone answer a couple of questions I have please? Do you create all four characters at once? And do you have all four from the beginning of the game? The reason I ask is because I like No.1 to be the Hero, No.2 to be the man-at-arms, No.3 to be a mage and No.4 to be a healer.

No arguments from me! I've played Wind Waker 3 or 4 times and, on reflection, the most tedious aspect of the game is the two co-op dungeons. The Wind Temple was just a bit irritating because of the design. The Earth Temple had fantastic Mirror Shield puzzles, but was hampered by the fact you had to control your companion. Don't get me wrong, it was an ambitious idea, ahead of its time; but I think having to play a song to take control of your companion, then only being able to control one at a time, and finally, having to collect her from a specific location if she got "caught" all made the dungeon take a very long time, especially if you wanted all the items. Now, co-op is not something I'd like to see return in this manner, but imagine if artificial intelligence became good enough that your companions would look after themselves and get into the correct positions. That might be something appealing for Zelda on the "Wii 2".

I totally agree. Many RPGs make the battle system unnecessarily complicated, whereas in my opinion, the depth should come from the strategy instead. I can't even play Final Fantasy IV because of the "ATB" idea, and Final Fantasy XII's "Gambit" system was massively complicated - in effect, you had to write your own A.I. OK, I'm sure it'll work well enough, it's just that the player characters in previous Dragon Quests were brilliant. That's fair enough. As it's on the DS, I don't think voice acting would have been a wise use of space. On the other hand, it's a numbered Dragon Quest game, and great voice acting has been established in the series - with brilliant actors such as Simon Greenall and Ricky Grover! I'm not looking for reasons to dislike this game, I'm more having a guess at which aspects of the IGN review I'd probably think were valid, as well as which ones I wouldn't. Honestly, every Dragon Quest game I've played is better than The World End With You. For a start, the battle system is like a dancing or rythym action game. Secondly, the characters are general vibe are not something that I "get", personally. Some people love it, and it's certainly something different, but I couldn't recommend it.

Here's IGN's Dragon Quest IX review: http://uk.ds.ign.com/articles/110/1104879p2.html I don't think I'd agree with their criticism of the battle system being "too traditional", as I like it how it is. By the same standards, I'd be disappointed if a Dragon Quest game didn't have "grassy fields", "forests" etc. However, it does sound like the characterisation has taken a massive step backwards. Apparently, you create all four player characters. For me, part of the appeal of the previous games was meeting them on the way, and reading their dialogue. Also, it's a pity there's no voice acting, as the actors who did Dragon Quest VIII and Dragon Quest Swords are great. It's a shame to waste them.

Sorry, it doesn't! :P Or does it just use art without creating its own? Sorry, just being light-hearted - I genuinely hope bstmte loves it as much as you!

I am getting very hyped for it now, actually. I mean, it's the direct sequel to my favourite RPG of all time! I don't expect it to be as good as VIII, but I do expect it to be the best RPG on the DS. Sounds like I'm expecting too much, but it honestly couldn't live up to the Dragon Quest name if it wasn't the best. One of the things I love is the recurring line-up of items, weapons, armour etc. I like the fact that when I see "Dragon Mail" I know that'll have great insulating properties, or when I see "Metal King Armour", I know that'll have immense physical defence. Touches like this make playing a new Dragon Quest game like stepping back into my favourite dream.

OK, if you don't like it, fair enough. No hard feelings. It just seemed like a great sailing simulator to me, with many things to consider.

No, probably wouldn't. Sorry, to be honest, I didn't read it (I'd heard about an American film and just assumed RTD + Tennant). Johnny Depp's great, but he's no David Tennant! That man is the Doctor this generation!

I'm guessing when I see something like "Paladin", I'll go for that.

But the island locations don't conform neatly to the eight compass directions. Therefore, you wouldn't be able to literally "leave it and make a coffee". If you want to be pedantic, movement in the N64 games comes down to "pushing a stick". All the games need you to be there deciding where to go, so I don't see the point being petty about it.

Quite simply, I prefer to buy new games. People aren't exactly careful with their CDs and DVDs, and they pick up scratches. Dragon Quest VIII (which is probably not available new), is good enough to be worth getting, that's all I'm saying. Good for you. You wouldn't like it.

I hope the Yeti is in it, I love the sound of that! As for the film, just because it was American, it could still theoretically have been written by Russell T Davies and had David Tennant in it, so would have been welcome in my book.

I don't drink hot chocolate anymore because I once burnt myself with it and got a nobble on my tongue that lasted for ages. So, I voted for Ribena, which can be adjusted with cold water!

Dragon Quest VIII (Journey of the Cursed King) is the best RPG I've ever played. If you have a PS2, you must play it, really! Even if you can only get it 2nd-hand. For DS, I recommend Final Fantasy III and Dragon Quest V (Hand of the Heavenly Bride).

I've got it pre-ordered too. This is my most anticipated game, and has been since I played Dragon Quest VIII, there's no doubt about that! However, I haven't read anything about it, because to be honest it just doesn't matter to me what the story is or even what the gameplay's like. Whatever it's like, I'm definitely playing it! I do have one big hope for it though - that I can use a spear! I love spears in Dragon Quest!