Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 17
 Why must the good, classic, fantasy RPG's be treated like garbage??? October 22, 2008
Dennis W. Benedict (Somewhere in the realm of the Shadow Dragon)
1 out of 7 found this review helpful
For the love of all that is good, why can't companies make good ports of the best classic fantasy RPG's? Dragon Warrior IV for the DS sucks. The game was originally a 2D game. Why in the world does it have to be ruined by being converted to 3D? Why do these wonderful games have to be for handhelds only? The only reason I gave this game two stars instead of one is the ability to control your party manually in chapter 5. I definetely enjoy the NES version a lot better.
 A Return to Old School Styling September 19, 2008
Sean (Aurora, Colorado)
Pros:
+Updated visuals, script and battle animations
+Long quest
+Lots of things to do off the beaten path
+Not too hard
+Beautiful Soundtrack
Cons:
-The visuals are a little sloppy
-Good animations in battle, but the battle engine is very dated
Dragon Quest IV first dropped down in North America as Dragon Warrior IV in 1992. This is just a year after the release of the Super Nintendo in America and also a year after the release of Final Fantasy IV. Needless to say, it was one of the last RPGs to be on the NES. The Dragon Quest series has never been too big in America so it's possible that for a lot of gamers, this is the first encounter they've had with Dragon Quest IV. It stacks up pretty nicely on the DS, but it also keeps very true to its NES roots. If you were one who played the original NES version and were expecting a Final Fantasy IV DS revamp, you'll be disappointed. However, it is a treat for those who never got the chance to play the original NES title. If you did play the original NES game to completion, I repeat, there's really nothing new here.
Dragon Quest IV begins by actually taking four chapters to introduce you to the game's four main characters and the last Chapter to be the actual quest. Dragon Quest differs from Final Fantasy in terms of story. Dragon Quest puts a lot more emphasis on exploration and from time to time, battling. So there's not much of an emphasis on story here, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have merits. It's a fairly good story overall.
The most obvious update to Dragon Quest IV is the game's graphics. Japan got a Playstation remake in 2001 and the graphics here are right on par. However, it uses Dragon Quest VII's graphics engine. So there are 2D Sprites on a 3D world. The facelift is nice, but it looks a little sloppy. The sprites don't look that much better than what you'd find in a Super Nintendo game and they're pretty pixelated. It overall looks good, but it could look better.
The second major update is the game's translation itself. Character names, towns, etc., have been changed. The script has also been rewritten as well. So if you played the original NES game, there are quite a few changes in terms of dialog as well. It's also a little neater.
The game's updated music is perhaps the best part. It's now completely orchestrated and it sounds very good. There are a few old school sound effects that come through as well, but they're appropriate.
When battling, however, this is where a lot of the game's old school charm really comes out. Dragon Quest has the most basic of basic menu battle systems. Dragon Quest IV doesn't do a thing to update it in the slightest. The enemies now move in battle, but not much. You actually see enemies attack and some of the spell animations look good. However, you never see your enemy go up and strike the enemy. Beautiful backgrounds and enemies that move a little are nice, but it shows that there's no real update to the battle system. It probably won't bother you in the long run. After all, battling is actually pretty fun, but graphically, it's hard not to wish that Dragon Quest IV would've upped the ante a little bit.
In many Dragon Quest games, level grinding was a must. This isn't really true of Dragon Quest IV, at least not in the remake. Much of the game is pretty simple. There's no level grinding necessary.
There isn't really that much else added to Dragon Quest IV at all. It stays very true to its NES roots. You may be getting a game that looks like it belongs on the DS, but it is very much an NES game and holds true to everything the original NES game has including some of its limitations. If you don't mind that, then the game will be an excellent buy. If you're not really big on RPGs from the NES era it might not be for you.
 Great Old School RPG September 19, 2008
Erik Shanahan (Washington DC)
I cut my teeth on games such as Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, and Phantasy Star in the late 80's on 8-bit systems. So it is nice to see a remake of a game that I have very fond memories of.
Dragon Quest IV, as with most DQ games, it's simply executed but an engaging game. What it lacks in stunning 7th gen graphics it makes up for with a high degree of charm and polish, that makes this one of the best RPGs for the NDS (IMHO), and possibly for handhelds altogether.
The game is broken down into five chapters; six if you include the epilogue. The story unfolds as you discover the past stories of the supporting characters. Eventually, everyone comes together with the main hero in the fifth chapter as the group tries to save the world. The story is nothing new, a group of people join to stop and evil force threatening the world however, and it still works and is interesting enough to keep you playing.
The graphics are updated from and unreleased, in the US, Playstation port of the game. If you've played Dragon Warrior 7 you can expect similar graphics. Some of the rough edges have been smoothed out. The screen has also been adjusted for the small DS screen. The colors are vibrant and each environment is beautifully rendered.
The music is simple yet catchy. My only complaint is that the music starts over after every battle. Considering the frequent battles, you don't get too far into each piece unless you stand in one place until the entire song plays.
Battle sequences are the old, tried and true, choose the commanda for you party members and watch the action play out. No real time or active time, this is great for strategy but, may seem out dated to some. In the original NES version you could only select commands for the hero however, now you can select commands for all your party members.
There have been complaints about the save system and churches. You can only save at churches, which is also the only place to check XP to next level. This doesn't bother me because, that's the way the original games were. There is a quicksave function if you have to save in a pinch. The quicksave is destroyed after resuming so; if you die you have to restart from your last church save position.
My only real complaint about the game is the music starting over after each battle, and that's not really a big deal. Touch screen control would have been nice for those who use them.
If you're interested in old school rpg's, long quests with level grinding, tough battles and nostalgic music or, if you started playing rpgs after Final Fantasy VII and you want to check out something a bit more old school than DQIV is for you. If you like easy, modern rpgs with great graphics and orchestrated music, DQIV may not be for you.
Yes! September 21, 2008
M. Howitzer (East Coast U.S.)
Great old school RPG fun! You can't go wrong with Dragon Quest 4! I love it and I'm positive you will too!
A must have for RPG lovers!!
Dragon Warrior Redux September 23, 2008
William Michaels (Hillsborough, NJ United States)
It is good to have this excellent RPG back in circulation. The story and gameplay are intact, with the handful of new features we have come to expect with 2000's reissues of 1990's games: a tough bonus dungeon, a town to develop as in Dragon Warrior 7, and lots more statistics-keeping. Also, one of the original DW4's weak points has been eliminated; you can now control all characters in the last chapter.
The strong point of this game, as of all Dragon Warrior/DragonQuest games except DW1, is the battle gameplay. The variety of different groupings, spells, and abilities that the enemies bring to bear on each instance of combat bring interest even to the lengthiest level-building sessions. The updated graphics vary from excellent (the battle backgrounds and monster portrayals/animations) to dreary (the towns).
The one thing undone I wish they had done is to rethink the whole story structure. Since the least interesting section of an RPG tends to be the beginning levels, when characters have the fewest spells and abilities and face the weakest and smallest groups of monsters, it is of questionable gaming value to make us go through these stages five times.
Still highly recommended, especially for those who have not played the original DW4.
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