Dragon Quest XI is probably one of the best JRPGs this generation
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This game should definitely be applauded for the insane amount of content in it on day 1 for $60 and not a penny more. Plenty of western developers would claim that you just can't make games like this anymore.
Imagine EA, Activision or Ubisoft approving the amount of content packed into the postgame at no extra charge, shipped day and date with the rest of the game as a complete experience. They would sooner fire Horii before allowing him to make that postgame without having it be part of a $29.99 season pass or only being able to acquire new pep powers via lootboxes.
Appreciate this post too! I've only played Trails in the Sky SC out of that list, but yeah, it's in my top five games.
I'll say that a thing that has elevated the game for me is the Hard mode they included, it's pretty good even if it seems like it might be too difficult.
I still need to play Xeno 2, excited to check it out later down the line.
I still need to play Xeno 2, excited to check it out later down the line.
I want to be interested, but I usually find myself never finishing traditional turn based RPGs outside of Persona and Pokemon.
How many things are there to do outside of the turn based combat? I was to get into Persona (and SMT) mostly because the customization of using different personas and the RPG combat being only half the game. Pokemon for having a fully customizable team. Is this any similar?
Other turn based RPGs usually end up boring me halfway through due to just getting burned out on the combat since that's all you end up doing. Trails is a good example of this for me. Same with the older Final Fantasys.
How many things are there to do outside of the turn based combat? I was to get into Persona (and SMT) mostly because the customization of using different personas and the RPG combat being only half the game. Pokemon for having a fully customizable team. Is this any similar?
Other turn based RPGs usually end up boring me halfway through due to just getting burned out on the combat since that's all you end up doing. Trails is a good example of this for me. Same with the older Final Fantasys.
OP
OP
The silent protagonist is always a DQ tradition, similar to the Persona and SMT series. :p
Great RPG indeed, 30 hours in atm.
The voice acting alone sets the games tone and is a large part of the experience in engrossing you in to its world. Not only is it top notch with emotion but they also take it to the next level making each regions dialect sound different. Each new place you visit will have its own people, with that, their own way of speaking. You will come across French, Italian, to even Hawaiian accents to name a few. Gives flavor to the Dragon Quest world.
It also has one of the best, if not best, "Hey, you haven't played in awhile or forgot what you are doing? Heres a recap!" I have seen in an RPG.
Game has good breather moments every 30-45 mins, so you can continuously chip away at the story or leveling your character without a huge time commitment. To me this is a big plus because I often lack attention and get fidgety in long sessions. It's well paced and structured.
Definitely one of the best rpgs this gen, at least thus far :)
The voice acting alone sets the games tone and is a large part of the experience in engrossing you in to its world. Not only is it top notch with emotion but they also take it to the next level making each regions dialect sound different. Each new place you visit will have its own people, with that, their own way of speaking. You will come across French, Italian, to even Hawaiian accents to name a few. Gives flavor to the Dragon Quest world.
It also has one of the best, if not best, "Hey, you haven't played in awhile or forgot what you are doing? Heres a recap!" I have seen in an RPG.
Game has good breather moments every 30-45 mins, so you can continuously chip away at the story or leveling your character without a huge time commitment. To me this is a big plus because I often lack attention and get fidgety in long sessions. It's well paced and structured.
Definitely one of the best rpgs this gen, at least thus far :)
Take the "probably" out of the title and you have my sword. Haven't been on either this forum or Discord much recently because I'm obsessed with tag-teaming this and Kingdom Hearts II.
Agree OP. I'm only about 20 hours in, but so far the game is hitting virtually all the right notes. Looks gorgeous as well on PC. (And it has Ansel support!)
There is a lot to love. Aside from some dreadful songs in the score, the presentation is pitch perfect. The sounds, the animations, the models, the art style, the voices, the towns. It is so damn charming and I hope other people will get to experience the wave of nostalgia I felt when I first turned it on.
DQ always sells well, but there was decline despite being on two platforms.
Reception? Yes it is DQ after all.
Sales? If I'm not wrong it was around 3.5m in 2017... not sure where it is today and there is a Switch version coming (believe).
This game is absolutely the glory days of JRPGs, but in the future.
I wasn't one of those people that were furious with DQIX got announced as a DS exclusive, but when you look at this game, I get it now.
This is exactly what a JRPG in 2018 is supposed to look like. It's a fully realized dream world.
It didn't sell as well as DQVIII or DQIX, but it still sold ~3.5 million with the Switch version still to come. The only thing more popular than DQ in Japan are Nintendo franchises.
Yes. 3ds version and ps4 version together is over 3.5 million iirc. If it can squeeze a couple mil from the west itll be the best selling DQ. I'm so rooting for this game.
Well with Switch release it will be probably be one of the best selling DQ... I think over 5.5m is already in the bag imo.
Just bought the game, and am really looking forward to starting it.
Just needed to finish Tales of Berseria first (which was... okay. Got to the point where I just wanted it to end though), but everything I read about DQXI is glowing, so excited to start it tomorrow.
Just needed to finish Tales of Berseria first (which was... okay. Got to the point where I just wanted it to end though), but everything I read about DQXI is glowing, so excited to start it tomorrow.
I'm like maybe a quarter in and it has so many improvements over 8 it's ridiculous.
- 8's rudimentary weapon skill points -> 11's Talent boards with their own metagame
- Far more outfits (this is where I think DQ12 will really shine, if they can decouple cosmetics from gear OR make ALL gear show up)
- Turn based combat evolving from pure round robin to an FFX-like agility-based system.
- Platforming via the ability to jump - if this can also be refined it'll be amazing. Finding chests in 11 after discovering hidden jump platforms is so rewarding.
- The upgrade from the Alchemy Pot to the Fun-Sized Forge allows the player to interact with all of their gear in meaningful ways, and the forging is really fun.
- Draconian Quest is great, although a "bragging rights" cosmetic reward that can be carried over into a NG+ would be perfect.
- Voice acting, choreography, map design, storytelling, the production values are amazing.
- Even the Casino is above and beyond any reasonable expectations.
always good to have a new turn based RPG, especially if it's done so well. it'll probably last me another 2 weeks. Big game.
Agreed. It's top 2.
Agreed. It's top 2.
I hope so. I just want it to stay on console and not handheld and another one this gen would be cool too.
Definitely, one of the best games of this gen to me and one of the best JRPG ever as well. It's also in my top 3 DQ and probably it'll end in my top 10 favorites
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Persona 5
Shin Megami Tensei 4
Shin Megami Tensei 4 Final
Persona 4 Golden
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
Nier Automata
Pokémon Sun/Moon
Of course, I'm not picking just turn-based games but japanese rpg in general
I wouldn't go that far with what I played (which is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 11) but yes, it's not the best DQ like we see in the internet. People mostly say it because it was their first and only one.
Completely agree with everything. You just said in few points how it's better than 8. Also, I would put in it that the party is also much better and one if not the best of the series.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Persona 5
Shin Megami Tensei 4
Shin Megami Tensei 4 Final
Persona 4 Golden
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
Nier Automata
Pokémon Sun/Moon
Of course, I'm not picking just turn-based games but japanese rpg in general
I wouldn't go that far with what I played (which is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 11) but yes, it's not the best DQ like we see in the internet. People mostly say it because it was their first and only one.
Completely agree with everything. You just said in few points how it's better than 8. Also, I would put in it that the party is also much better and one if not the best of the series.
Yes, yes it is. DQ8 is one of my favorite games and I never imagined 11 would match up. But here I am about 73 hours into it, and 11 is a lot better. Aside from the music, it's pretty much perfect.
DQXI is my first Dragon Quest game. I'm only 6 hours in which is scratching the surface but what I've seen is simply incredible. This game has a huge budget behind it and it shows, it looks good plus there's a lot of small details. The food in this game looks awesome.
Oh yeah for sure this hasn't even hit Steam really. Only when it gets to 30 and below will a lot of Steam user jump in. This is going to sell really well in the end.
To be fair this gen has been pretty sub par for jrpgs so the bar is pretty low but yeah I agree.
I tend to agree with you. It's not that I hate DQ8, it's a great game, but I have been struggling to get into it for like the past 2 years now on and off. With DQ11 I've been enjoying it from the outset, especially once the game started to open up more.
Over 40 hours in, and I like much better than DQ8. The only knock on it is the music, but as others have stated--it really is a fantastic JRPG. I love it with every ounce of my being.
Not only one of the best jRPG's of this generation (and the best traditional jRPG), but it's also one of the greatest jRPG's of all time. I'd put it up with the likes of Dragon Quest V and Dragon Quest VIII.
No random battles
Essentially zero grinding
Amazing towns
Amazingly written story (dont hit me with "its generic tho", you can do a lot within a generic story shell as this games shows)
Amazing cast
Very few gripes
9.5/10
Essentially zero grinding
Amazing towns
Amazingly written story (dont hit me with "its generic tho", you can do a lot within a generic story shell as this games shows)
Amazing cast
Very few gripes
9.5/10
Just finished the main story, clocked 103 hours that i spend fully exploring this amazing world, did all the side quests, spent some time on the casino and race track, found most of the crossbow targets in the world. Game still offers more end game stuff witch i plan to do. Also great that there is no need to grind to beat the story bosses.
My favorite JRPG this gen is still Persona 5, but DQXI is the best traditional JRPG I played since the PS2 generation.
10/10
My favorite JRPG this gen is still Persona 5, but DQXI is the best traditional JRPG I played since the PS2 generation.
10/10
You should try the first 3! I love that trilogy, especially DQ3.
I also forgot to mention how perfect is the pace. The game has been built to give the idea every 1-2 hrs of having reached a climax and objective only to start again soon after. That means every time you play you get a feeling of accomplishment and never get bored! The rhythm is just so perfect.
It's excellent so far but the music just really isn't up to par with everything else regarding the game, so i'm not really sure yet. It's just not good. It has other issues that are coming up too but i'll wait until I finish the game to really gauge them.
But as it stands now, Persona 5 and other RPGs I've played are still better.
But as it stands now, Persona 5 and other RPGs I've played are still better.
I'm midway through it too and ueah, but I it's definitely one of the greats, no "probably" needed.
I have my gripes, like how it's poorly balanced in a fundamental level, which is very disappointing from a DQ game, but everything else is so, so good. This game has the most vibrant locales I've seen in a game, all full of personality and intricately designed, as well as one of the most fun to explore worlds I've experienced. The narrative is quite good and intriguing so far too and the cast is great.
It's a real pity we aren't getting the 3DS version (officially anyway), but I hope the Switch one pans out soon so more people can experience this. I'm having a blast.
I have my gripes, like how it's poorly balanced in a fundamental level, which is very disappointing from a DQ game, but everything else is so, so good. This game has the most vibrant locales I've seen in a game, all full of personality and intricately designed, as well as one of the most fun to explore worlds I've experienced. The narrative is quite good and intriguing so far too and the cast is great.
It's a real pity we aren't getting the 3DS version (officially anyway), but I hope the Switch one pans out soon so more people can experience this. I'm having a blast.
Also, we talk about the main people of DQ in history but with DQ11 we had the debut of a new director with Uchikawa and he did a great job. I'll be looking forward at his future works in SE and in the series.
Oh, I'm planning to do it! I already began DQ1 but I'm not focusing too much on it because of DQ11. I'm also planning to buy DQ7 in the 3DS later on.
Oh, I'm planning to do it! I already began DQ1 but I'm not focusing too much on it because of DQ11. I'm also planning to buy DQ7 in the 3DS later on.
game has been a real treat. like reuniting with an old high school friend but not in a wistful and depressing "remember the good ol' days?" way, you're enjoying it just as much
only thing that irks me is they still went with offscreen battle transitions. with enemy encounters non random and the playing area wide enough i feel like there's no excuse for it. especially annoying when you "encounter" like 5 slimes on the "map" and have to engage each and every one and they're like 3-5 enemies unto themselves... c'mon guys, chrono trigger gave us a solution to this a quarter of a century ago
only thing that irks me is they still went with offscreen battle transitions. with enemy encounters non random and the playing area wide enough i feel like there's no excuse for it. especially annoying when you "encounter" like 5 slimes on the "map" and have to engage each and every one and they're like 3-5 enemies unto themselves... c'mon guys, chrono trigger gave us a solution to this a quarter of a century ago
I have become so jaded when it comes to modern JRPGs. I'm not a Dragon Quest fan and I didn't even know this game was out in the West until a week after its release date. I was not going in with big expectations.
Holy smokes.
I'm maybe a third of the way through the game, but it's pushing all the right buttons. I mean, yes, I can nitpick and there are things I can be critical of, but this is shaping up to be the best JRPG I've played since FF9. Really loving my time with it.
Holy smokes.
I'm maybe a third of the way through the game, but it's pushing all the right buttons. I mean, yes, I can nitpick and there are things I can be critical of, but this is shaping up to be the best JRPG I've played since FF9. Really loving my time with it.
I just can't get over how novel and refreshing it feels to simply be playing a very traditional JRPG with an explorable 3D world in HD.
There have been so many retro throwback games, weird innovations and experiments, open world games that take influence from western RPGs, and action RPGs in recent years, that sometimes I almost feel like I haven't played a game like this since the PS2. That's not literally true, but that's how fresh DQXI still feels to me.
I feel the exact same way.
There are a handful of games that hit all the buttons that remind me why I love this genre so much, and DQXI is up there with FFIX for me. I've loved a lot games that have come out in between those, but not as deeply.
There have been so many retro throwback games, weird innovations and experiments, open world games that take influence from western RPGs, and action RPGs in recent years, that sometimes I almost feel like I haven't played a game like this since the PS2. That's not literally true, but that's how fresh DQXI still feels to me.
I feel the exact same way.
There are a handful of games that hit all the buttons that remind me why I love this genre so much, and DQXI is up there with FFIX for me. I've loved a lot games that have come out in between those, but not as deeply.