"Hoshizora no Mamoribito" or "Defenders of the Starry Sky"
Square Enix made waves two years when they announced that the next iteration of the insanely popular Dragon Quest franchise would be coming out exclusively for Nintendo DS. Back then, we asked Square Enix to please bring back the Final Fantasy franchise to the Wii.
As we mentioned in that heartfelt plea, Dragon Quest is a cultural phenomenon in Japan. A DQ release day is like a national holiday. Kids skip out of school, people line up for blocks, and the gaming world grinds to a halt. When Square Enix brought DQ9 to the DS, they sent a very clear signal: Nintendo has won this round.
Now we find ourselves much closer to DQ9 launch day (March of 2009 in Japan), and 1up.com’s “Quartermann” rumor-sniffing column has dug up this bomb: There may be a Wii version of DQ9 on the way as well.
To say that this is the killer title that Nintendo needs right now is an understatement. While the Wii is still a hot holiday seller, it has lost traction with gamers due to the glut of minigame compilations and hokey, gimmicky “waggle” games, where the only game mechanic is to shake the controller wildly at the screen. The last big release was Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and there’s been no killer AAA title since. Dragon Quest IX would not only sell a hundred billionty and eleven copies, it would sell eleventy billion more Wii consoles and cause other developers to take note of the little white box.
Here’s to hoping. DQ8 is one of the finest RPG experiences I’ve ever played through. The voice acting, the artwork, the story, and the mechanics themselves all represent the pinnacle of the art. If the 8th iteration is any indication, the 9th should be an absolutely stellar performance.
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