Dragon Quest

Dragon Quest
Red letters "DRAGON QUEST". The letters are lowest in the middle and become higher towards the left and right. The letter "T" is represented by a sword's blade and grip for the vertical portion while the horizontal portion uses the red coloring to form the crossguard.
Genres Console role-playing game
Developers Game design:
Armor Project
Main series:
Chunsoft, Heartbeat, Level-5
Remakes:
ArtePiazza
Publishers Square Enix (formerly Enix)
Creators Yuji Horii
Artists Akira Toriyama
Composers Koichi Sugiyama
Platforms MSX, Famicom/NES, Super Famicom/Super NES, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Wii
Platform of origin Famicom/NES
Official website Official Portal

Dragon Quest (ドラゴンクエスト Doragon Kuesuto?), published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005, is a series of internationally best-selling console role-playing game (RPG) titles created by Yuji Horii and his studio, Armor Project, and published by Square Enix. The series has significantly impacted the development of console RPGs, and introduced a number of features to the genre. Installments of the series have appeared on MSX computers, and the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Game Boy Color (GBC), Game Boy Advance (GBA), Nintendo DS, PlayStation (PS1), PlayStation 2 (PS2) and Wii video game consoles, and on several models of mobile phone. Nearly every game in the main series has been adapted to anime and manga. Each Dragon Quest video game soundtrack has been arranged into an orchestral piece; the series was the first to have a soundtrack performed by live orchestra.

For the majority of the series, Dragon Quest games were released under the title Dragon Warrior in North America to avoid trademark conflict with the role-playing game DragonQuest, which was published by Simulations Publications in the 1980s until the company's 1982 bankruptcy and acquisition by TSR, Inc.. TSR continued publishing the line as an alternative to Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) until 1987,[1] and in 2003, Square Enix registered the Dragon Quest trademark in the United States.

Common elements persist throughout the series and its spinoff titles: turn-based combat; recurring monsters, including Slime which has become the series' mascot; text-based menu systems until the English version of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King;[Note 1] and, until Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, random encounters in the main series. The series is also known for being one of the few long-running video game series to have a stable key development team.

None of the Dragon Quest titles were published outside of Japan or North America until the series made its European debut with Dragon Quest: Journey of the Cursed King. As of February 2010, the Dragon Quest series has sold over 53 million units worldwide.[2] It is Square Enix's second most successful franchise after Final Fantasy and is often cited as the most popular video game franchise in Japan.[3][4]

Contents

Games

Main series

Timeline of release years
1986 – – Dragon Warrior
1987 – – Dragon Warrior II
1988 – – Dragon Warrior III
1989 –
1990 – – Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
1991 –
1992 – – Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
1993 –
1994 –
1995 – – Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie
1996 –
1997 –
1998 –
1999 –
2000 – – Dragon Warrior VII
2001 –
2002 –
2003 –
2004 – – Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
2005 –
2006 –
2007 –
2008 –
2009 - – Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies
2010 -

The first four Dragon Quest installments were released on the NES in both Japan and North America, with the first two released in Japan on the MSX at the same time as their NES counterpart;[5][6] all of the games have been remade for newer systems. Dragon Quest was released in Japan in 1986 and North America in 1989 under the title Dragon Warrior.[7] Dragon Quest II Akuryo no Kamigami was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America as Dragon Warrior II in 1990.[8] Dragon Quest III Soshite Densetsu e… was released in Japan in 1988 and in North America in 1992 as Dragon Warrior III.[9] Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen was released in Japan in 1990; the North American release in 1992 was entitled Dragon Warrior IV.[10][11] A PS1 remake of Dragon Warrior IV was scheduled for release in North America, but was never released.[12][13] The Nintendo DS remake of Dragon Quest IV was later released in North America and Europe under its original translated title without the number.[14]

Two games were released for the SNES: Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride was released in 1992 and Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie was released in 1995; both have been re-released on newer systems.[11] Dragon Quest V was originally scheduled for release in North America but was canceled amid rumors that Enix had given up on the American market. No official reason was ever given.[15][16] The Nintendo DS remake was later released in North America and Europe, the latter without the numbering. One game was released for the PlayStation (PS1); Dragon Quest VII Eden no Senshi-tachi was released in 2000 and in North America in 2001 under the title Dragon Warrior VII.[11][17] Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King was released for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) in 2004 in Japan, 2005 in North America, and 2006 in Europe,[11][18] the latter without the numbering. Dragon Quest VIII was the first Dragon Quest title to be released in North America under its Japanese title and the first European release of a main series Dragon Quest game.[19][20] Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, the only game in the series initially released on the Nintendo DS, was released in 2009 in Japan and in 2010 in North America.[21] Dragon Quest X was announced for the Wii in 2009, and is still in development.[1][22][23]

Spinoffs

The franchise includes several main title spinoff series, including Dragon Quest Monsters and Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest, as well as arcade games like the Japanese Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road.[24] Several games in the Mystery Dungeon and Itadaki Street series have characters from the Dragon Quest games.

In 1993, Chunsoft developed a Super Nintendo game involving Torneko (トルネコ?, a.k.a. "Torneko Taloon"), a character that first appeared in Dragon Warrior IV.[25] The roguelike game, Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon, continues Torneko's story from Dragon Quest IV, where he wishes to make his store famous by venturing into mysterious dungeons and retrieving items to stock it with. The game achieved success in Japan.[26] In 2000, a direct sequel was released in Japan and the United States, Torneko: The Last Hope. The gameplay is similar to the first game although Torneko: The Last Hope is considered much easier to play.[27] The game sold enough copies in Japan to have a second direct sequel on the PlayStation 2 titled Fushigi no Dungeon 3 Torneko no Daibouken (不思議のダンジョン3 トルネコの大冒険?, lit. "Mystery Dungeon 3: Torenko's Adventure").[28] The second and third Torneko games have been ported to the Game Boy Advance.[29][30] The success of Torneko spawned its own game series, Mysterious Dungeon, which were published by various companies, though most were still developed by Chunsoft.

In two spinoff games, the player uses the controller as a sword, swinging it to slash enemies and objects. Kenshin Dragon Quest: Yomigaerishi Densetsu no Ken is a standalone game in which the controller is shaped as a toy sword and a toy shield contains the game's hardware.[31] Dragon Quest Swords is a Wii exclusive;[32] it uses the motion sensing Wii Remote as a sword.[33] Other Dragon Quest spinoff games were released exclusively in Japan. These include a card-based arcade game, Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road, developed by Level-5 and a downloadable turn-based strategy game for the Nintendo DSi, Dragon Quest Wars, developed by Intelligent Systems.[34][35] There is also a port of Dragon Quest Monsters Battle Road 2 for the Wii titled Dragon Quest Monsters Battle Road Victory that is due for a release in the summer of 2010.[36]

Common elements

Gameplay

A black screen with two moth-like creatures in the center and three white-bordered boxes around it. The box above the moth-like creatures has "Hero", "Brin", "Math", and "Viro" on the top, each with an H and an M under each of them, with Hr under "Hero", Sr under "Brin", Wz under "Math", and Pr under "Viro". A number is next to the letters on the right. The bottom left box displays "Hero" on the top and the options "Fight", "Run", "Parry", and "Item". The bottom right box contains the text "Masked Moth 2".
Combat image from Dragon Warrior III depicting typical battle layout and menu types seen in most Dragon Quest games.

In Dragon Quest, the player controls a party of characters that can walk into a town and buy weapons, armor, and items with which to defeat monsters. Outside the town, on the world map or in a dungeon, the party is vulnerable to random monster attacks. When the party encounters monsters, either during a random encounter or boss battle, the view switches from an overhead perspective to the first-person, and players are presented with several options on a menu. The first-person menu-based battles have become a staple of the series.[37] Players select weapons, magic, and items to attack and defeat the enemy monsters, or can attempt to flee the fight; however characters cannot run during a boss battle. After the party defeats the monsters and wins the battle, each party member gains experience points (EXP) in order to reach new levels. When a certain character gains a new level, the stats of the character upgrades.[38] Winning battles also reward players with gold, allowing them to purchase items.

The player must visit a church (also known as a House of Healing in early North American versions) in order to save the games' progress and talk to a priest or nun. In early versions of Dragon Quest, players talk to a king to save their progress,[38] though the first two Dragon Quest titles for the NES use a password save system.[39] If the player's party dies in battle, the group will lose half of its gold and warp to the nearest save location where the leader will be revived.[11] Players must then pay a priest to revive their party members. In more recent games in the series, banks in many towns allow players to store gold, preventing its loss if the party dies.

In Dragon Warrior III, Dragon Quest VI, Dragon Warrior VII, and Dragon Quest IX, several classes may be chosen for the party members.[11] Each game has its particular set of classes, typically including the Cleric, Fighter, Jester, Thief, Warrior, and Mage classes.[Note 2][40][41] In addition to these basic classes, all all of the afore mentioned games include advanced classes such as the Sage.[42][43][44][45] In addition, Dragon Quest VI and VII include monster classes.[43][46]

Monsters

The Dragon Quest series features several recurring monsters, including Slimes, Drackies, Shadows, Mummies, Trick Bags, and Dragons.[47][48][49] Many of the monsters in the series were designed by Akira Toriyama. In Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride monsters can join the player's party and fight in battle.

The Slime, designed by Toriyama for use in Dragon Warrior, has become the official mascot of the Dragon Quest series. Series designer Yuji Horii cited the monster as an example of Toriyama's skills, claiming it took artistic "...power to take something like a pool of slime and use his imagination to make it a great character."[50] A Slime is a small blue blob shaped like a water droplet and has a face. It has appeared in every Dragon Quest game and it is usually one of the first monsters the player encounters. The Slime's popularity has netted it two spinoff games: Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest and Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime. They are significantly featured in the Japanese manga and two-episode anime Dragon Half.[51] William Cassidy of GameSpy claims that "...the common wisdom is that if you ask someone from Japan to draw 'Slime,' he'll draw the onion-like shape of the weak enemies from the game."[1][52]

Loto/Erdrick

Erdrick[Note 3] is a legendary hero from the Dragon Quest series. The first three Dragon Quest games comprise the "Erdrick trilogy", which are all connected to the legend of Erdrick. He is known in the game as the hero who freed the games' setting, the Kingdom of Alefgard, from darkness.[Note 4][53] The name Erdrick was first mentioned in the English localization, Dragon Warrior, in which the player is referred to as Erdrick's descendant.[54] Erdrick’s legend was completed with the 1991 release of Dragon Warrior III.

In Dragon Warrior, Erdrick was the ancestor of the Hero. The Hero follows in the footsteps of Erdrick to reach the Dragonlord's Castle and confront the Dragonlord. In Dragon Warrior II, the heroes are descendants of Erdrick, and also of the Hero from Dragon Warrior.[55][56] They explore the expanded world of Torland, including the continent of Alefgard. At the end of Dragon Warrior III, the King of Alefgard bestows upon the Hero the “Order of Erdrick”, the country’s highest honor reserved for true heroes. In Dragon Warrior III, Erdrick's origins are revealed; the chronological order of the first three games is Dragon Warrior III, Dragon Warrior I, and then Dragon Warrior II.[57] The chronology is further evidenced in the naming of the hero's weapon, armor and shield. After the events of Dragon Warrior III, the hero's armaments are renamed as the Erdrick (or Loto) Sword and Armor in Dragon Warrior I and Dragon Warrior II. Writing "Erdrick" as a name for the player in Dragon Warrior III is impossible. After typing "Erdrick", a window that reads "INPUT YOUR NAME!" opens.[42]

In the original Final Fantasy, Square parodies Dragon Warrior by displaying a grave for Erdrick in the town of Elfland.[58] In retaliation, Enix hid a Cid grave in Dragon Quest III. A parody of Erdrick's sword is wielded by Gilgamesh in Final Fantasy XII: it is referred to as the "Wyrmhero Blade" ("Tolo Sword" in the Japanese version). Also, in Duane and Brando's Final Fantasy, Chaos laid Erdrick to rest

Zenithia

Zenithia, also called Zenith Castle or simply Zenith, is a 'sky castle' location that first appears in Dragon Warrior IV, and is one of several elements from Dragon Quest IV, V, and VI. Its appearance in all three games suggests they are linked as a trilogy. These games are often referred to as the Tenkū (Japanese for Heaven), or the Tenkū no Shiro (Castle in the Sky) trilogy.[59] Horii explained that the trilogy was never intended: "Each Dragon Quest title represents a fresh start and a new story, so I don't see too much of a connection between the games in the series. I guess it could be said that the imagination of players has brought the titles together in a certain fashion."[60]

In Dragon Warrior IV, Zenithia can be accessed by climbing the tower near the Gottside region, called Azimuth in the DQ4DS release. It is directly above the entrance to the world of darkness. In Dragon Quest V, Zenithia has fallen into a lake south of Elheaven. This happened when the Golden Orb, half of a set of magical orbs that supported the castle in the sky, fell from its place. Once recovered and returned to Master Dragon, Zenithia will rise again. This time, the castle can move freely around the sky. In Dragon Quest VI, Zenith Castle is sealed away by Demon Lord Durran, and a large hole is left in its place in the Dream World. When the Dream World returns to its natural state, Zenith Castle is the only part of it that remains visible, floating above the real world. A castle in the Dragon Warrior III remakes for Super Famicom and GBC is also called Zenith, although the layout differs from the castle in the Tenku series.[61]the obsebatry of dragon quest ix is similar

Development

History

In 1982, Enix sponsored a video game programming contest in Japan, which brought much of the Dragon Quest team together, including creator Yuji Horii.[62] The prize was a trip to the United States and a visit to AppleFest '83 in San Francisco, where Horii discovered the Wizardry video game series.[11] Contest winners Koichi Nakamura and Yukinobu Chida, with Horii, released the Enix NES game The Portopia Serial Murder Case. Music composer Koichi Sugiyama, known for composing jingles and pop songs, was impressed with the group's work and sent a postcard to Enix praising the software.[63] In response, Enix asked him to compose music for some of its games. The group then decided to make a console role-playing game combining elements from the Western CRPGs Wizardry and Ultima. Dragon Ball creator and manga artist Akira Toriyama, who knew of Horii through the manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump, was commissioned to illustrate the characters and monsters to separate the game from other RPGs of the time.[64] Horii has since been the games' scenario director.

The series monsters, characters and box art were designed by Toriyama.[19] The music for the Dragon Quest series was composed by Sugiyama.[62] Dragon Quest games have been developed by Chunsoft, Heartbeat, Artepiazza, and starting with Dragon Quest VIII, Level-5.[65] Horii's own company, Armor Project, is in charge of the Dragon Quest games, which were published by Enix and now Square Enix.

The primary game designs were conceived by Horii before being handed to Toriyama to re-draw under Horii's supervision.[66] When Horii first created Dragon Quest, most people doubted that a fantasy series with swords and dungeons instead of science fiction would become popular in Japan; however, the series has become very popular there.[20]

Dragon Quest is not as successful outside Japan, having been eclipsed by another RPG series, Final Fantasy. Because of Enix's closure in the mid-1990s, Dragon Quest V and Dragon Quest VI were not officially released in North America. In Europe, none of the games were released prior to the spinoff Dragon Warrior Monsters. With the merger of Squaresoft and Enix in 2003, Dragon Quest games were released in numerous markets.[20] In May 2008, Square Enix announced localizations of the Nintendo DS remakes of Dragon Quest IV, V, and VI, known collectively as the Zenithia trilogy, for North America and the PAL region.[67] With this announcement, all the main Dragon Quest games will be released outside Japan. The ninth installment was released in Japan for Nintendo DS on July 11, 2009. The North American version has been announced for release on July 11, 2010, exactly a year after the Japan release, while the European version is out on July 23, 2010. The tenth installment of the main series is currently in development for the Wii.[23]

Creation and design

At the time I first made Dragon Quest, computer and video game RPGs were still very much in the realm of hardcore fans and not very accessible to other players. So I decided to create a system that was easy to understand and emotionally involving, and then placed my story within that framework.

Yuji Horii[64]

Yūji Horii used the full-screen map of Ultima and the battle and statistics-oriented Wizardry screen to create the gameplay of Dragon Quest.[11] The first six Dragon Quest games' stories are divided into two trilogies. The first three games of the series tell the story of the legendary hero known as Roto, known as Erdrick or Loto in some versions. Dragon Quest IV-VI are based around a castle in the sky called Zenithia, and are referred to as the Tenku in Japan, meaning Heaven. Games in the main series from Dragon Quest VII onwards are standalone games.[68]

The typical Dragon Quest plot involves the player controlling a party of heroes to defeat an ultimate evil villain, who usually threatens the world in some way. However, the plotline often consists of smaller stories involving encounters with other characters during the game.[15] The games feature a number of religious overtones – saving the game (in later games) and reviving characters who have died is performed by clergy in churches. Bishops wander around the overworld of Dragon Warrior Monsters and can heal wounded characters. The final enemy in some of the Dragon Quest games is called the Demon Lord. For instance, in Dragon Warrior VII, the Demon Lord, known as Orgodemir in that particular game, is the final boss, and there is a sidequest to battle against God. The first four Dragon Warrior titles were subjected to censorship in their North American localizations, largely in keeping with Nintendo of America's content guidelines at the time, which placed severe restrictions on religious iconography and mature content. When these games were remade for the Game Boy Color, most of the censorship was removed.[69] Since Dragon Warrior VII, the translated versions of the games have largely followed the originals.[70]

Music

The Dragon Quest soundtracks were composed and arranged by Koichi Sugiyama, who also composed the music for the video games. The first album, released in 1986, was based on music from the first game.[71] It has since been followed by a "Symphonic Suite" album for each game in the main series. Other compilations of Dragon Quest music have been released, including Dragon Quest Game Music Super Collection Vol. 1.[72] The London Philharmonic performed many of the soundtracks, including a compilation entitled Symphonic Suite Dragon Quest Complete CD-Box.[73] With some of the soundtracks, a second disc with the original game music is included, as with the original Dragon Quest VI soundtrack.[74] In 2003, SME Visual Works released Symphonic Suite Dragon Quest Complete CD-Box, featuring music from the first seven Dragon Quest games.[73]

Dragon Quest is a cultural phenomenon in Japan. It is the first video game series to receive live-action ballet adaptations,[75] and the first to have its music performed live by an orchestra.[76] Musical concerts and audio CDs were produced based on the Dragon Quest universe.[63] Since 1987, the series' music has been performed annually in concert halls throughout Japan.[19] In 1991, J-POP group SMAP portrayed Dragon Quest characters in a musical.

Manga and anime

Dragon Quest has been adapted for manga and anime, from Dragon Quest III through Dragon Quest VII. Dragon Quest III inspired an anime series that was partially translated into English under the title Dragon Warrior: Legend of the Hero Abel. At the same time, an original manga entitled Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibōken was created and later adapted into an anime.[77] The series' spinoff titles have also been adapted. One series was based on Dragon Quest Monsters, called Dragon Quest Monsters +. Dragon Quest's mascot, Slime, has seen two adaptations for children.[77]

Other related works include Dragon Quest Monster Story, a 1989 manga published by Enix that features short stories about Dragon Quest monsters.[77] The Road to Dragon Quest (ドラゴンクエストへの道 Dragon Quest e no Michi?) is a manga about the creators of Dragon Quest published by Enix. The single-volume manga was released in 1990 and produced by Ishimori Productions, a company known for creating manga about famous people and businesses. It focuses on the creation of the series, and stars Yujii Hori, Koichi Nakamura (main programmer), Koichi Sugiyama, Akira Toriyama, and Yukinobu Chida (producer).[78]

Reception

Dragon Quest is one of the most popular video game series in Japan.[3][4][11][79] All of the games in the main series, and many of the spinoff games, have sold over a million copies, and some games have sold over four million copies.[80] For instance, the remake of Dragon Quest VI sold 1.28 million copies in Japan in the first four days after its release, an exceptional sales figure for a remake.[81] In 2006, readers of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu voted on the hundred best video games of all time. Dragon Quest III was third, Dragon Quest VIII fourth, Dragon Quest VII ninth, Dragon Quest V eleventh, Dragon Quest IV fourteenth, Dragon Quest II seventeenth, Dragon Quest thirtieth, and Dragon Quest VI thirty-fourth.[82]

The original Dragon Quest game is often cited as the first console RPG, despite the fact that it borrows heavily from the Wizardry, The Black Onyx, and Ultima series, and that many critics consider Final Fantasy "more important."[1] GameSpot called Dragon Warrior one of the fifteen most influential games of all time and the "...most influential role-playing game of all time", and stated that nearly all Japanese RPGs today have roots in its gameplay.[83] Dragon Quest V is cited as having monster recruiting and training mechanics similar to those seen later in Pokémon.[11] The Dragon Quest series was recognized by Guinness World Records with six world records in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition. These records include, "Best Selling Role Playing Game on the Super Famicom", "Fastest Selling Game in Japan", and "First Video Game Series to Inspire a Ballet".[84]

Although the series is extremely popular in Japan, as of 2002, the games have not been as successful in North America.[1] Although the first four games to be released in America generally received good reviews, and as of February 2008 they were among the most sought after titles for the NES, especially Dragon Warrior III and IV,[11] it was not until Dragon Warrior VII was released that Dragon Quest became critically acclaimed.[1] One of the main aspects of the series that critics point out, either positively or negatively, is that the series "...never strays from its classic roots."[79] Unlike other modern, complex RPGs, Dragon Quest retains the simple gameplay from the first game, which many critics find refreshing and nostalgic.[79][85][86]

Other points of contention are its battle system, comparatively simplistic storylines, lack of character development, simplistic and (in earlier titles) primitive-looking graphics, and the overall difficulty of the game. However, these arguments are countered by noting its strength in episodic storytelling with the various non-player characters the party meets. The stories avoid melodrama and feature more simplistic characters than Final Fantasy's Squall Leonhart or Tidus who have been sources for contention. Battles are simple and finish quickly. As for the difficulty, Yuji Horii has been noted as a gambler and the lack of save points and general difficulty of the battles with the intention of adding a sense of tension. Because of this added difficulty, the punishment for the party's death was toned down compared to other games by simply going back where you last saved with half of your gold on hand.[11]

Notes

  1. ↑ The Japanese release of Dragon Quest VIII retains the traditional text menus. However the Japanese release of Dragon Quest IX uses the menus based on the English release of Dragon Quest VIII.
  2. ↑ Most of the basic classes have undergone name changes in their English translation. The Cleric class underwent several name changes. It was originally known as the Pilgrim in Dragon Warrior IV and in Dragon Quest IX it changed to Priest; the Fighter class was changed in Dragon Quest IX to Martial Artist; the Jester class was originally known as Goof-off in Dragon Warrior IV; the Warrior class was originally known as Soldier in Dragon Warrior IV and the translation for the Mage has alternated between Mage and Wizard depending in Dragon Quest title.
  3. ↑ Edrick is known as Loto in the North American remakes of the Game Boy Color of the first three games
  4. ↑ In Dragon Warrior Alefgard is referred to as a kingdom, but in Dragon Warrior II it is shown to be a continent.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "The GameSpy Hall of Fame: Dragon Warrior". Gamespy. http://www.gamespy.com/articles/492/492001p1.html. Retrieved 2005-05-29. 
  2. ↑ "Press Release: DRAGON QUEST IX: SENTINELS OF THE STARRY SKIES, Summer 2010 Launch Confirmed on Nintendo DS(TM) in North America, Europe and Australia". MarketWatch. 2010-02-25. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dragon-quest-ix-sentinels-of-the-starry-skies-summer-2010-launch-confirmed-on-nintendo-dstm-in-north-america-europe-and-australia-2010-02-25?reflink=MW_news_stmp. Retrieved 2010-02-28. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gantayat, Anoop (2007). "Dragon Quest IX set for DS". IGN. http://ds.ign.com/articles/750/750590p1.html. Retrieved 2007-09-10. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lindermann, Jon (2007). "Dragon Quest IX preview". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071111174241/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/previewArt.cfm?artid=13469. Retrieved 2007-09-10. 
  5. ↑ "Dragon Quest Release Information for MSX". GameFAQs. 2009-06-02. http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/msx/data/918072.html. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  6. ↑ "Dragon Warrior II for MSX". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/msx/dragon-warrior-ii. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  7. ↑ "Dragon Warrior Release Information for NES". GameFAQs. 2009-06-02. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/data/563408.html. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  8. ↑ "Dragon Warrior II Release Information for NES". GameFAQs. 2009-06-02. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/data/587248.html. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  9. ↑ "Dragon Warrior III Release Information for NES". GameFAQs. 2009-06-02. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/data/587249.html. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  10. ↑ "Dragon Warrior IV Release Information for NES". GameFAQs. 2009-06-02. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/data/563409.html. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  11. ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 Kalata, Kurt. "The History of Dragon Quest". Features. Gamasutra. p. 1. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3520/the_history_of_dragon_quest.php. Retrieved 2009-09-29. 
  12. ↑ IGN staff (2001-08-22). "Dragon Quest IV Headed Stateside". IGN. http://psx.ign.com/articles/097/097618p1.html. Retrieved 2009-01-12. 
  13. ↑ "Dragon Quest IV Release Information for PlayStation". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/psx/data/530937.html. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  14. ↑ "Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen Release Information for DS". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/data/942422.html. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Kalata, Kurt (2007). "Dragon Warrior/ Dragon Quest". Hardcore Gaming 101. http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/dragonquest/dragonquest.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-29. 
  16. ↑ Bullock, Dwaine. "E3 2004 SquareEnix Interview". Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior Shrine. http://www.dqshrine.com/features/seinterview.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  17. ↑ "Dragon Warrior VII Release Information for PlayStation". GameFAQs. 2009-06-02. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/psx/data/197152.html. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  18. ↑ "Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King Release Information for PlayStation 2". GameFAQs. 2009-06-02. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/data/583527.html. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Kennedy, Sam (2005). "Dragon Quest vs. America". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3146024. Retrieved 2007-09-10. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 "Interview with Yuji Horii at EuroGamer.com". Eurogamer. 2007. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/i_dragonquestviii_ps2. Retrieved 2007-09-12. 
  21. ↑ "Dragon Quest IX Release Information for DS". GameFAQs. 2009-06-02. http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/data/937281.html. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  22. ↑ Crossley, Rob (2008-10-10). "Wii Gets Dragon Quest X". Edge. http://www.edge-online.com/news/wii-gets-dragon-quest-x. Retrieved 2008-10-10. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Takenaka, Kiyoshi (2008-12-10). "Square Enix to launch Dragon Quest IX for Y5,980". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSTKX00313920081210. Retrieved 2008-12-09. 
  24. ↑ "Dragon Quest castle erected". Japanese News Review. 2007. http://www.japannewsreview.com/entertainment/games/20070715page_id=711. Retrieved 2007-09-09. 
  25. ↑ Williamson, Matthew (2005). "Fushigi no Dungeon 2". GameSetWatch. http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/05/column_parallax_memories_fushi.php. Retrieved 2007-09-16. 
  26. ↑ Edge staff (2006-03-03). "Japan Votes on All Time Top 100". Edge. http://www.edge-online.com/features/japan-votes-all-time-top-100?page=0%2C1. Retrieved 2008-12-13. 
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