Dragon Warrior

Dragon Warrior 1
FAQ
IGN
10/10 ... 3/10 (some of these old games...you just can't judge by todays technology. Dragon Warrior was a masterpiece when released, however it's graphics don't hold up to the test of time. It's puzzles seem a bit quaint and rather simple. Don't let those aspects deter you though, the game is a ton of fun. The first score is 'at release', the second score is 'as compared to today's RPGs'

Review
Dragon Warrior was one of the first console RPG's brought to America. Indeed, some sources say it was the first. To give you an idea of the influence Dragon Warrior (called Dragon Quest in Japan, and henceforth in this review as DQ) had on all RPG's that followed, the experience/level up system that many find to be so identifiable with computer RPG's originated in DQ1. The story had depth and was complex for it's time. With the limited memory available on the original NES, Enix was able to produce an outstanding game that broke barriers and set standards that are still followed to this day. In general, I don't like games that have a limited variety of enemies, and simply use color swaps to make things more interesting (Final Fantasy X was horrible about this). In the DQ games though, I enjoy the color swaps and look forward to each new incarnation. The most detailed and intricate sprites in the game are the monsters that you face, making finding each new one a treat.

Dragon Warrior can be broken down into two parts. The first is the rescue of the princess, and the second is the defeat of the Dragonlord. Getting to the princess is quite easy. As a matter of fact, she is located in one of the closest structures to the beginning of the game. Actually achieving the princess' freedom is another matter. You must level up quite a bit past the point of actually meeting her captor before you are able to free her. I like that mechanic. I like it when a game introduces me to something I just can't do yet. It makes me feel like my later achievements have more meaning when I can come back to a part of a game that has proven difficult (maybe even periodically testing my strength as I can levels and gear), and am finally able to beat it. After you return the princess to her father (in your arms no less), it's time to take on the Dragonlord.

Taking on the Dragonlord is rather more involved than rescuing the princess. Along the way you must finish minor quests for the citizens of the land, with your ultimate goal being to assemble the pieces to build a magical bridge uniting your portion of the land with the Dragonlords. Having completed that task, you must kick the Dragonlord into tiny bits. None of the quests in DQ1 are overly difficult, nor is the land large enough to become unmanageable. Playing DQ1 gives me the impression of a comfortable chair by the fire in a comfortable home. No stress, only a good friend whose company you can enjoy.

My DragonWarrior 1 Journal
I began playing DQ1 between classes at USF. I primarily played during school times. I looked forward to adventure and the rescue of princess's!I used the area just to the bottom of the beginning castle to level up quite quickly (I'm not sure if it's a secret or not, but the very bottom row next to the mountains in this area contains a large number of higher level enemies. The close proximity to the castle allows for easy saving/healing and the lack of lower level enemies in that area makes it perfect to level up in). Soon I was ready to take on the first dungeon, Erdrick's tomb. Erdrick's tomb has a chest in the very bottom level that has a cursed necklace which sells for big money. I consider this cursed necklace to be part of a perfect game, and so returned repeatedly in an effort to respawn the chests (I didn't even know you could do this when I played way back in '88! OMG, that would have made this game so much easier!) and get the necklace. Most online sources say it takes about 15 tries to get the necklace. It took me 53. 53 respawns of that cave until I was able to find the necklace.

Finally however, I was able to find the necklace (and earned a good deal of coin along the way). From there, I completed the quests, found the princess, received her love (hehe), and prepared to defeat the Dragonlord. At level 15 (about 2 levels higher than I could have done it) I had acquired every item in the game and had only to level up to 30 before I could take on the Dragonlord perfectly. Let me just say that Erdrick's armor is a massive upgrade over the Magic Armor, and let me also say that Hauksness and I now know each other far too well.

That was June 2, 2009 at 1:03 PM. At this point in time I had been able to kill 3 metal slimes. Before all was said and done, I was able to kill 6 of the little buggers. Metal slimes tend to run away from you before you can get a hit in, and when you can, they tend to reduce the damage to 0 or 1. Difficult to kill indeed. I finally was able to achieve level 30 and get into the Dragonlord's room at about 1 AM on June 29, 2009. That is nearly a month of freaking leveling. Granted, I didn't play the game in every waking hour, but still. 1 solid month of leveling is nuts. I was determined though, and so I did it. Finally I was in the Dragonlord's castle. Here is my picture of perfection, sitting in the first floor seat of the Dragonlord's palace.

Notice, full money, full experience, 6 herbs (the max you can carry of the most useful item), 6 keys (the max you can carry of the second most useful item), all the required items for completion, along with wings and a torch. This is the screenshot of perfection for this game. All that remains is to kill the Dragonlord. I started down and quickly dispatched all enemies on the way, finally confronting the lord himself. He offered me a position on the throne next to him, which I declined. I then proceeded to pulvarize him into a fine red mist (assuming Dragonlord's bleed red). I made my way back to the castle and told the king of my deed, thus winning the game. Perfectly.

I must confess however. While I theoretically met the requirements for perfection, I'm not happy with the outcome of this game. In the final dungeon there is another Cursed Belt. I felt I had not truly completed the game until I got that belt. Unfortunately, I did so after I beat the Dragonlord. I didn't know at the time (but drat all, I know now!), but once you beat the Dragonlord, all shops close, and all inns refuse to allow you to sleep there (also, there are no more random encounters, but that isn't all that important). In the end, I had ended up using a magic key to open the door to get the belt, and then warping back to Tantegal Castle. All this being said, that means I ended the game with less magic points than perfect, and 1 less magic key than would be perfect. I'm not happy with this, but the idea behind a perfect game is this: any person could pick up the controller and be ready for any encounter in the game with full hitpoints/mana/gear/money. Since there were no possible encounters after the Dragonlord died, technically I HAD beat the game perfectly. This is a good lesson learned for me and my future games though.

Cliff's RPG Game Quest

(with apologies to Chris and his Survival Horror Quest)

We finally come to the video game review section of this blog. I've given it some thought over the (admittedly large) amount of time I've been preparing for this section. I think it might be best to create an entire website for this portion of my end of boredom. This approach would have the added benefit of allowing me to learn some website design as well. However, I'd like to get the first (and maybe the second) review up and see what I like and don't like about my plan before I buy web hosting.

First though, all quests must have some ground rules, and since the organization for this idea comes from Chris, I think it only appropriate that I take his rules and modify them to suit my needs.

Content Requirement

1) The game must be an RPG game. Since the definition of just what an RPG is, along with the fact that many games are 'slash' types of games (for example RPG/strategy, or action/RPG), I will further define just what an RPG is for the sake of my quest. An RPG is a game that has at least 2 of the following elements:

a) a leveling up mechanic. This can be the standard 'fight enemies, gain experience, when a plateau is reached, you achieve the next level'. This can also be something more non-standard such as 'defeat enemy x and receive an upgraded ability/health/status'. This requirement is purposely open ended to allow for a bit of variation and simply because I cannot foresee what game designers might possibly come up with in the future.

b) an exploration/story driven mechanic. This is critical. The defining feature of an RPG (at least in my opinon) is that it tells a story. RPG's are not played in an effort to show off your 'leet gamer skills', they are played for the experience and the puzzle solving aspect of the games.

c) a collection of items. This is not necessarily true of every RPG (although, I can't think of one in which it isn't), but I find it more fun when I am able to acquire new things and to progress my characters weapons and gear. This is also fun in more gear based games such as many of the Zelda adventures where you must acquire an item in an effort to further the game.

2) Chris has a system requirement, meaning he will only play games for consoles. I am not going to limit myself in that way however. Some of the best, classic RPG's are for computers and I don't want to exclude them.

a) This is the place to point out that I am choosing to play these games in the manner in which I find the most convenient. I am a big fan of emulation. I must point out however, that owning an emulated version of a game, without owning the actual game itself is illegal. I am able to put my hand on every game I intend to review, and those that I don't currently have will be purchased from Ebay before I begin to play them. This is critical in my opinion. I want the designers of the games that I am playing to know that I appreciate their hard work and efforts, and I want to encourage them to make more. However, I am a creature of convenience. I want to be able to put my games on my iphone and take them with me when I go, or to be able to play them on my computer so that I don't take up the TV from my girlfriend and children.

3) I also reserve the right to add games that I feel I want to play.

Ultimately the goal of this exercise is for me to have fun and categorize my thoughts and experiences, as well as play all of the RPG's I can get my hands on. All of this being said, the majority of traditional RPG's that can be played on my Iphone, will be played on my Iphone. It's nice to be able to take dragon warrior with you and play it between classes, or to play for a few minutes while waiting for somethingor someone. Games that require more precise movements, like Zelda, will more than likely be played on my computer, using a gamepad.

Perfect Game

I've neglected to mention until this point, that my intention is not only to complete these games, but to do so in a perfect way. I will be acquiring every item, completing every side quest, and achieving the highest level possibly in these games, and providing photographic proof of such a deed.

I will not be using strategy guides of any sort to the best of my ability. If there is something that I just can't get quite right however, I am willing to use them. They lower the amount of fun I have in most games though, so I will refrain to the best of my abilities. If a strategy guide is used though, it will most likely be from gamefaqs.com, unless otherwise noted.



Lastly, since I will primarily be using emulators, I must note that I will NOT be making use of any of an emulator's features that are not available to me in the normal game (other than taking screenshots).

The question arises, just what is a perfect game?

1) The highest level achievable in the game, will be achieved (for example, in Dragon Warrior 1, that level is 30).

2) All items will be obtained that are considered beneficial, unique, or have a special function or purpose. (For example, to be perfect, all of the items in final fantasy 1 that have a use in battle when using the item command, must obtained and kept). If an item is detrimental to the characters, it may be skipped (i.e. an item that is cursed).

3) The money limit must be reached (on games in which such a thing is possible, or at least reasonably possible).

4) All accolades, titles, bonuses, or anything else that can be acquired to show that a portion of a game has been completed, must be acquired.

5) In games in which a time limit is imposed in order to get the best ending possible, The game will be completed within that time limit, but also replayed in an effort to achieve the normally perfect game.

6) If a game has multiple endings, only the best one will be played for. I will not go back and acquire lesser endings, unless I feel one of the changes that occurs in the ending is significant.

Let the quest begin!