Behind the Games: Dragon Quest's Yuji Horii

This man changed my life and i had never even seen his face until now.

@rocka Is it that hard to listen? It's easy to understand what they are saying if you listen.

Is it really that hard to use subtitles??

One of the first video games I ever played (when I was 1-3 yrs old) was Dragon Quest II on an original Japanese Famicom. Later on I added DQIV to the collection and, thanks to the internet, eventually played all of them up to the DQ7, including the SNES remixes for 1&2 and 3, as well as the PS remix of DQIV. I've also played some other well-known Enix titles including some of the DQ Monsters series, Star Ocean 1&2, Valkyrie Profile, as well as the Fushigina Dungeon games Chun Soft collaborated with them on (Torneko no Daibouken 1-3 and Fuurai no Shiren 1&2). I have also played many memorable Squaresoft titles, including Chrono Trigger/Cross, Treasure Hunter G, a few FF games (currently playing FF7 for the first time), the Chocobo's Fushigina Dungeons, Xenogears, and many other Squares I can't think of. From what I've seen, I honestly have to say Square and Enix made much better games before they merged, with a few rare exceptions like Torneko no Daibouken 3 (GBA) based on games from before their joining. While I haven't played DQVIII, it does look decent enough to bear the DQ name. I also haven't played the latest one, and would've gotten a DS to play it if it didn't look so babyish. All I can say is if the 10th iteration doesn't shape up (assuming it follows the trilogy pattern of the previous 9 games), I will feel personally insulted as a dual-citizen Japanese national, and will likely boycott Squeenix henceforth. There's my rant for today :)

notserbamma, it was released for the DS because Square-Enix wanted to charge $40 for the game instead of $8. They made a huge mistake thinking fans would pay such a high price for an old game. (And I don't say that to insult CT, as it's still one of my favorite games).

@notserbamma -- The DS is really the system to own if you want retro games like Dragon Warrior. I grew up on them too, and just had to get a DS to play games like this. @ciqtte -- I don't know. Dragon Quest VIII and IX were entertaining games, but they didn't have the same feel as the others for me. As to Final Fantasy games... you might not enjoy the latest iterations, but the name of the game with Final Fantasy has always been changing something big and making something new.

You mean the translator? o_0

He sounds like a woman.

@notserbamma It sold way more than it would've reached on WiiWare, PSN, and XBOX Live combined. The install base for the DS is huge, while people that would buy the game for the PS3/360 wouldn't want to play a decades old game on an HDTV. And I don't think "most of us don't own a DS". You're much more likely to find someone that's played Chrono Trigger before on the DS, as the original was on a Nintendo system and this is a Nintendo system. A PS3/360 user most likely never played Chrono Trigger. And I believe it's already on the Wii's VC. If it isn't you have a point there.

someone tell me why chrono trigger was remade for NINTENDO DS instead of being re-released on PSN or WiiWare?? Kids who grew up on CT back in 1995 are grown men today, and most of us don't own DS'...squeenix is missing out on some serious cash by not releasing the chrono games digitally. Soooooooooooo retarded...it's enfuriating. Those sales could lead toward a third Chrono game...

Chrono Trigger have been one of the best SNES games and games of all time ever! I remember when the Remake had come to DS, everyone have been so excited, well, a real RPG... Not like of Final Fantasy of today

Dragon Quest still be DQ so far.But Final Fantasy is NOT FF anymore.

If this is the guy that created Chrono Trigger, I worship him.

His comb-over is rocking my world!

Yeah, at first I thought he was referring to Dexter's lab, too. But, like.. wow! He watches "Dexter".... Great minds have great taste in TVshows as well. :D

when i haerd "i like dexter", i was like, "oh, dexter's lab!! haha, i liked that too, he's cute", then he said "he's a policeman and a serial killer" ...

Ycheez chrono trigger has a sequel!it´s chrono cross for the psone!one of the best rpgs ever!and radical dreamers for the snes but never was released outside japan

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Chrono Trigger was thebest rpg ever for ds, MAKE A SEQUEL!

nice interview but i was hoping for some news on dqx out of it, its nice to know that some gaming legends play facebook app games on freetime its quite funny

I always was curious when people would state that Final Fantasy VI was the epitome of great, 2D RPGs. While it is a fun game by all means, I would say, without question that Chrono Trigger is the best 2D RPG. I'd like to shake the man's hand and say thank you for creating the game...and hopefully have a translator by my side so he could understand what I'm saying.

Dragon Quest FTW!

@burgo81: You can have a good RPG on the Wii. Why would it be better for the 360 or PS3? Because the graphics would be better? Because it'd sell more? Releasing it for the Wii wouldn't destroy the series, that's a totally stupid assumption. Releasing it for the Wii is smart for a few reasons. Mainly because the Wii is mor popular in Japan then the other two. Also there aren't many RPG's for the Wii, so all the RPG fans who own the Wii would surely buy it. Dragon Quest is actually more at home on Nintendo consoles. Look at howw good Dragon Quest IX performed. A lot of people said that it should have been a console RPG instead of a handheld RPG, but it turned out to be a really successful portable RPG. Dragon Quest IX for a Nintendo console was more successful then Dragon Quest VII and VIII for Sony consoles.

@BFKZ: Horii is currently developing Dragon Quest X for the Wii.

I just have to say that this man is a legend. Any man who creates such an epic game like Chrono Trigger deserve tons of respect and credit.. Also games like Dragon Quest! Epic!

legend.... *bows down* ^(")^

subtitles for that semi-heavy japanese accent girl would've been helpful

great interview music=bad girl linguist for a guy=bad

DQ IX was awesome and now I can only hope that DQ VI is also great. Yuji seems to be a very down to eath person and one that I would'nt mind spending some time with. My gaming roots also go back to the early PC's of the early 80's.

@GunnBjorn A major in Mathematics is a B.S. degree

Horii, what happened to your voice???

I'm a simple man from the Netherlands. Horii mentioned he 'Majored' in mathematics. Does that mean he earned his BA in math? Or Master even? Would somebody be so kind to clarify that for me? Thank you.

BFKZ they are making a new dragon quest they are making a new dragon quest game but it seems it will be on the wii, which in my opinion will kill the series, it will be a step back from the ps2 dq8 which i love to bits i have clocked hundreds of hours on that game and i would love, love, love, love to see this game go on ps3/xbox 360 instead of wii

the music is a little distracting

why dont they make a new console dragon quest? the one on ps2 was quite successful...i miss these types of rpgs :(

This man right here is like a god!

Horii is awesome, but who the hell did that english voice for him?

:o DQ VI

Moar Chrono Trigger plzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Interesting.

Yuji Horii doesn't get enough recognition in my eyes. When people mention RPG's the first name that usually comes to people's minds is Hironobu Sakaguchi. If Horii never developed Dragon Quest then Sakaguchi wouldn't have developed Final Fantasy. The only reason Sakagichi made an RPG was because of how popular Dragon Quest was is Japan.