Review: Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (PS2)

Graphics- 10/10
Sound- 9/10
Gameplay- 8.5/10
Replay Value- 8.5/10
Overall- 9/10

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is a solid RPG from Square Enix. The game features excellent graphics, a good story line, and a huge world to explore, but the game moves too slow in some parts to be enjoyed by every one. I highly recommend this game for fans of the RPG genre, but for fans of more fast-paced games, this might be a pass.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King has excellent cel-shaded graphics. Most of the time, however, the graphics don't look like cel-shaded graphics. The designers did a very good job with this, and make the game look absolutely stunning. Plus, the characters in the game were designed by the creator of Dragon Ball, so they are very well done. In addition to the graphics, the game also has a great soundtrack. It sounds really good and fits in well with the situations in the game.

The gameplay in Dragon Quest VIII is what one would expect from a Dragon Quest game. There is plenty to explore and the combat is turn-based. However, a new addition to Dragon Quest VIII is the way to level up your character's stats. For every level you gain, you attribute points to spend on your character. This allows you focus on one type of combat style you like best. However, some people might think they are smart by creating a well-balanced character with a few points in each category. I highly advise against this, because this makes you just okay in all categories, instead of amazing in one or two.

Also, this game's story has a tendency to move too slowly. Often times you will find that you must up your level by two or three just to complete the next part in the story. This isn't very bothersome in the beginning of the game, when it is easy to level up, but after a while, when you need to do forty battles to level up once, this gets rather annoying. This leads to the game getting too repetitive for me, and distracts from the story, which is rather good. RPG fans may be able to endure this, but fans of more fast-paced games, this may become too boring. Plus, there are some points in this game (particularly after you get the boat) where you may have no idea where to go. Right when you get the boat, you can travel to some of the hardest places in the game, and the place you are supposed to go is on the opposite side of the map. All in all, though, if you are an RPG fan, this game is a must have. For everyone else, consider my complaints and try to figure out if this game is right for you. (The Final Fantasy XII demo was also once a good selling point, but since it came out already...)

Pros: Excellent cel-shaded graphics, nice orchestral soundtrack, plenty to do.
Cons: Gets repetitive, story moves too slow.

Review: Eric