Dragon Quest VIII

http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/dragon_quest_viii_g_1.txt

I quite enjoyed the fact that casting Zoom in a dungeon resulted in hitting my head on the ceiling. That, and despite myself, all of Yangus' exclamations.

lol

somebody convince me I should not Buy this Now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170012658588&category=21188

The graphics have become my favorite graphics in any game ever. This game has me ready to finally admit that RPGs can be great in 3D. (emphasis on CAN BE). I'm consistently impressed with the number of frames in literally every animation (except for the boobs on Witches. I'm kinda disturbed by that actually. There is absolutely no good reason for a monster to have massive cleavage that jiggles around every time you damage them. FFS).
The music is somewhere in the top 10, but I'm not about to go buy the double CD set or anything.

If I were Square/Enix, I'd be looking at the engine on this thing, and drawing up some numbers on how much it would cost to update DQ3-DQ7 for this level of quality and localization. Because that, to me, would be free fucking money.

Last thought - having the Maps be relatively uninformative and undetailed is really nice, because you don't grind just to grind - you wind up doing all the grinding you need to do just because you're exploring big blank areas looking for goodies and people to talk to.

:(

there's some flash/anim demo out there of the chick running.

1. The oceans are rife with peril.
2. Alchemy is hard.
3. Great Sabrecats are not the easiest thing to steer.
4. The text explanation of why the Siren's Puff-Puff technique does not work on Jessica is the cherry on top of what is so far the best localization I have ever seen in a JRPG bar none.
5. If you have a PS2, but do not have this, you are wasting your time.

I'll get a new copy when it drops down to ten or fifteen bucks. - It's $19.99 on Amazon now.

Red Scarlet's FAQ goes into a lot more detail (and is the best overall FAQ for anything you need to know, dude played through the game over 10 times) - I've read part of this faq and it's terrible. this would be the reason I avoid walkthroughs; dude literally eschews fun completely and he tells you as much multiple times. It's like he's training you for a speed run. Ugh.

I still haven't got around to beating the Ultimate Dragon. I beat all the other ones and got all the prizes (the dragovian armor + helmet makes Hero look pretty cool, it's like a samurai outfit), but the only point to beating him is if you're going for 100% monsters and items, which I'm not even close to yet. There are other games, and that shit is tedious.

Nine hours?!?!? You ain't even got properly puff-puffed at nine hours.

1. axes instead of clubs
2. better distribution of skill points instead of just racing to 100 in a couple of them to see what happens
3. spears instead of swords
4. whips instead of staves
5. sabers instead of bows
6. more cheese
7. monster arena, as noted
8. more fastidious/obsessive-compulsive use of "nose for treasure"
9. actually follow through with minnie and dodgy dave

Finally playing this. Great soundtrack. Turns out the music composer is supposedly some rightwing japanese schmuck. I doodled blue slimes while having to sit thru cpr class today.

I want a slime controller. It's still only like $20 + shipping.

Does it still have the optional/compulsory free-roaming plains around the towns with nothing to do but fight piss-takingly lame baddies, through darkness or grass and on and on and on for no reward but some pittance of experience or gold? Is it all bad guys and levels and dungeons that are impossible to beat until you engage those endless tedious battles and up your levels? Is it all "you have encountered 3 GREEN SLIME. Do you attack, defend, run? You have defeated 3 GREEN SLIME. You gain 3 GOLD 3 EXP.) for hours and hours and hours?

DUEDS this is what I LOVE about Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior!

Tho admittedly VII has much better shit in it.

uh...VIII

shoulda gone w/Arabic numbers, they're hard to misspell

OMG I am loving this game. Just up to the DARK RUINS and have died at the hands of DHOULEMAGUESYUS.

I broke this out because I broke my collarbone and need to not move around much and boy howdy did it work. Only problem is via roomy seeing me play it he's decided he wants to REplay it and is on the fucking thing like 10 hours a day and I am not getting any playtime and I have to constantly remind him that I'm the one with the broken fucking collarbone and dude please just be fair.

I love ALCHEMY and MAKING GNARLY SHIT. For the longest time also I was certain Trode's voice was the guy who was Hoggle in Labyrinth. Alas.

Also BOUNCY BOOBS! This is the best game.

I've been trying to spread out my skill points between a variety of things but now I'm wishing I had dropped them all into one weapon each.

I'd be playing it right now instead of digging up old threads about it on ILX if I had my way.

Okay I am going to go lay a guilt trip on a motherfucker again.

Have fun with alchemy but be careful with the Slime Crowns, there's only like 2 in the game.

Also BOUNCY BOOBS!

you're talking about slimes, right?

I'm not even about to alchemyize the one slimecrown I've got; in fact I'm completely resisting the urges to get massive alchemy & skill lists online because I am enjoying so much doing it myself.

ALSO: I had been making crazy cheeses in the alchemy pot for like 10 hours of gametime before I realized exactly what to DO with them...and NOW I am REALLY enjoying the CHEESE IN BATTLE OPTION.

Also where are the best monsters for my team? Right now my best 3 are the goldman guy, an orc guy and a chicken guy with a sword.

I'm playing this again from scratch. It's still a blast.

important discovery: axes better than clubs

Scythes better than both, though.

I like the boomerang.

is the scythe really the best weapon for yangus? even in the endgame?

what should I do with the templar this time around? last time I had him with the bow & arrow, I dunno what should be his steez.

For scythes its only 70 points to Stainless Steel and 80 points to Attack +25. I can't remember what the modifier is for the ss attack (+30% maybe) but that's still a really good increase for an attack with 0 cost. With an axe you only get an Attack +20 boost that requires 82 points + the special moves cost 2/3 sp. Also, you can get the second-best scythe relatively early via the Monster Arena.

I think the best weapon for Yangus in the end game is the flail you get from Minnie but that takes a v. long time to get and you can stop leveling scythes after 80 points anyway.

I level staves for Angelo but maybe not actually the best? Level whatever you want him for e.g. I use him mostly for healing/defence so Staff of Antimagic (which you can get pre-Trodian) + the MP +20 skill works for me until after Baccart at least. If you need him for attack then swords is best since you can get an A+ rapier v. quickly as well. Bows are a good compromise of the other two esp. if you're leveling knives w/Jessica and thus cannot get Liquid Metal Swords for both.

I beat it a few weeks back and it took me close to 80 hours. If I do the whole trials thing at the end, about how much longer should it take?

20-40 more?

Re-reading my post above made me realise that even if I start a Chaos Wars thread I can't look like any more of loser than I already do. Still... update?

I was planning to move ahead this week but drinking and lurve got in the way. also a little bit of work, but eh.

real definition of loser = dude who is disappointed in himself, even for just a moment, because he let fucking and drinking get in the way of pre-planned video game progress

Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes;
it provokes the desire, but it takes
away the performance: therefore, much drink
may be said to be an equivocator with lechery:
it makes him, and it mars him; it sets
him on, and it takes him off; it persuades him,
and disheartens him; makes him stand to, and
not stand to; in conclusion, equivocates him
in a sleep, and, giving him the lie, leaves him.

Alternate post: My girlfriend accused me of continuing to play videogames while she talking to me. It's true. Now we're not drinking or fucking. What do I do?

yeah jessica has some bazooms

I know the olympics are bad but pretty awesome to see all the teams march out to Dragon Quest music lol

I hope someone puts up a video of this

stopped watching but apparently they played some Sonic too!