"Best" way to play Dragon Quest

[Anonymous No.2637209]

I've been holding this series on my blacklog for some time and now I'm wondering which version of each installment should I play for a better run. Any obvious suggestions for someone completely lost?

Also, Dragon Quest thread (why not?)

[Anonymous No.2637297]

>>2637209
dq1-snes
dq2-snes
dq3-snes or gbc (snes has better music/graphics but gbc has a new dungeon and monster medals.)
dq4-phone (its the only version with translated party chat)
dq5-ds/phone or ps2 (ps2 has 3d models but ds has a new wife to choose. phone version is same as ds.
dq6-ds/phone
dq7-ps1 (no english 3ds localization)
dq8-ps2 (no english 3ds localization)
dq9-ds

[Anonymous No.2637326]

>>2637209
Play DQ4 on the NES.

[Anonymous No.2637708]

I always recommend to play the original versions first instead of going directly to the 'definitive' version. So, yeah. Play the originals first.

[Anonymous No.2637714]

>>2637708
Not everyone can read Japanese or wants to deal with Kana only games.

[Anonymous No.2637802]

How often do we need to have this thread? This is almost getting as bad as the Final Fantasy ones. A description of the pros and cons of each version should be in the stick for these two series

[Anonymous No.2637813]

>>2637714
Are you retarded? Every original release has been translated. Dragon Warrior - Dragon Warrior equal Dragon Quest - Dragon Quest IV, respectively.
Dragon Quest V and VI (tbf, it's only about 90% complete and only unnecessary strings aren't translated) have unofficial translations and Dragon Quest VII has an official localisation. So, there's that.

[Anonymous No.2637814]

>>2637813
> Dragon Warrior - Dragon Warrior
Meant Dragon Warrior - Dragon Warrior IV.

[Anonymous No.2637816]

>>2637813
The American releases are hardly identical to the original Japanese versions.

[Anonymous No.2637828]

>>2637209

honestly, though you ain't losing much by choosing either. it boils down to personal tastes like whether you prefer chiptune or orchestrated music

[Anonymous No.2637831]

>>2637708
I don't think I could handle playing through DQ2 more than once.

[Anonymous No.2640447]

>>2637831
I neither condone nor condemn this, but I do completely understand. I don't look at it as "difficult" by any means, but it gets boring, and only the first time do you have any real push to finish it, I think.

[Anonymous No.2640464]

1-4 NES
5-6 DS

Fantranslations are buggy with gamebreaking shit, and boring to read, DQ localizations were usually really well made and interesting.
Still you can go with 5's translation, I'm not aware of anything really bad. 6 doesn't have a complete one however.

[Anonymous No.2641870]

>>2640464
>DQ localizations were usually really well made and interesting.
AHAHAHAHAHA

[Anonymous No.2641946]

>>2640447
God, maybe its because I'm playing through the GBC remake of it, but DQ2 is so sloooooow. I am bored to tears, and the real kicker is that I'm about 85% done with the game. Just have to gather a few more MacGuffins.
I'm currently playing through 4 DS though, and it's been a real treat. Not sure if I should move onto 5 after, or check out 3.

I own 3 for the GBC so I feel like I have to play that version. How does it compare?

[Anonymous No.2641963]

>>2637297
SNES version has a new dungeon too, but it's different from the GBC version and doesn't require monster medals. Otherwise both versions have the same content.

[Anonymous No.2641965]

>>2641963
Should've mentioned I was talking about DQ3 in that post.

[Anonymous No.2642752]

>>2641946
It's graphically better than NES, I think. But, it's obviously not on SNES level. Somewhere in between, but with all of the SNES version's content, and a damn good localization. Unless you really want to emulate the SNES, go for it on GBC. It's got a certain coziness about it when played on an actual Gameboy, as opposed to GBP on the Gamecube or such.

[Anonymous No.2642757]

>>2637816
>The American releases are hardly identical to the original Japanese versions.

how so. I can't imagine there was much to cut in the first place.

"Oh the church has different symbols how terrible"

[Anonymous No.2642809]

>>2637297
Phones are pretty shit. Crashes a whole lot as has tons of bugs/issues. As for DQ4 it sucks the iOS port has the Party Chat SE decided was unneeded in the DS version. Personally the localization of DQ4 for DS/mobile is fucking horrible and the NES is the way to go. Yeah it has less stuff but my god that localization is completely fucked.

[Anonymous No.2642812]

>>2637816
Outside of calling Churches "House of Healing" and taking out Puff Puff the localization is amazingly good. Better than any other localization in the NES era. DQ4 NES still holds up well in every way and personally is the definitive version for English. At least until hopefully someone fan translate the PSX version.

[Anonymous No.2642825]

>>2642757
The English version of DQ1 actually got a pretty big overhaul when it was converted to DW1. The Japanese game didn't have a battery save, it used passwords, the sprites were different, in the original they always faced the screen, for the US version they completely redrew every sprite in the game and made them able to face four directions. Some of the background tiles were touched up a bit.

DQ2 didn't get such extensive changes, but the US version had an opening cutscene where you see Moonbrook attacked, that wasn't in the original Japanese version, though it was added to the remakes.

[Anonymous No.2642904]

>>2642825
It's sad that they put so much work into the US releases, just to have them tank the way they did.

Also is there any benefit playing DW3 GBC on a GBA?

[Anonymous No.2643006]

>>2642904
Sadly Dragon Quest 2 came out in 1990. Now DQ2 is a wonderful game in 1987 when game design was still trying to be understood but by 1990 it just felt bad. And sadly by the time DQ3 come over here the SNES was coming out and so everyone eyes were on that. If I had a time machine I would have stopped the NES localizations and have them bring over DQ1&2 and DQ3. Yeah we would have skipped DQ4 until PSX but I feel the NES games were just a lose cause because of how long it took to bring them over.

I'm more sad that SE didn't just keep the localizers of the GBC and PSX games. Outside of some typos here and there (mostly because Enix rushed them) it was a great localization and tried to keep as much as they could. While nowadays SE feel localization should be something completely different and annoying (personal).

[Anonymous No.2643483]

>>2641963
DQ3 GBC has the same bonus dungeon the SNES version has PLUS the monster medal dungeon.

[Anonymous No.2643497]

Finished 1 (NES), about to start 2. I'm getting worried about these comments about 2 being a slog.

If I handle NES 1 fine, is NES 2/3 more grindy/hard? I felt like 1 dragged a bit, but overall okay with it. Should I skip 2 on NES and go SNES? Anyone here play both?

[Anonymous No.2643525]

>>2643006
DQ2 is sadly the awkward middle child of the early DQ games. Not that it's bad, really, but the second half of the game is really weak.

Also, GBC is my favorite versions by far, but I might be a little biased.

[Anonymous No.2643528]

>>2643497
I never found 2 to be more appreciably grindy than 1; the biggest issues might be that it's relatively open after a certain point, so you might find yourself stumbling into an area with more powerful monsters than you expect, while ignoring another locale that has monsters more level-appropriate just because you missed or didn't realize a hint that suggested you go there as well.

I think 2 gets way too much of a bad rap. It's bounds ahead of 1 in terms of content and in its attempt to make an interesting world. Its innovations certainly feel minimal when compared to the RPG world in general and even the other NES DQs that came after it, but it's not a bad game.