Dragon Quest 9 is a excellent rpg for any type of gamer. If your willing to put in the time you'll be greatly rewarded.
User Rating: 9.5 | Dragon Quest IX: Hoshizora no Mamoribito DS
I have had the luck of getting this game for free and playing it has been one of the best gaming experiences in my life. First of all the story. To prevent spoilers I will just say that the story has quite a few twists and turns. It seems eerily similar to the story in Eragon if you've ever read that book. The main characters have relatable qualities, but some of the side characters seem to have nothing useful to say. Next the graphics. I was surprisingly impressed with the 3D rendering on the DS. This game looks just as good as it's prequel did on the Ps2 and the environments are vast and varied with many nooks and crannies to explore. The music is catchy and overall well done. Nothing amazing however. The gameplay is where DQ9 shines. No random encounters (excluding sailing) make progression much quicker and bosses can be very difficult. The final boss took me quite a few tries to beat. Losing never makes you feel like you've been cheated. The class system is interesting, but I never found myself using it. I just stayed the same class throught the game. Alchemy is a great way to upgrade your weapons and medicines and you practically have to use it to beat some of the later bosses. During the aftergame many sidequests are available to you so you can increase your monster guide and weapon arsenal. In conclusion I highly recommend this game and hope you have the same experience I did.
