| Dragon Quest X: Mezameshi Itsutsu no Shuzoku Online | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Square Enix Armor Project |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Director(s) | Jin Fujisawa |
| Producer(s) | Yosuke Saito |
| Designer(s) | Yuji Horii |
| Artist(s) | Akira Toriyama |
| Composer(s) | Koichi Sugiyama |
| Series | Dragon Quest |
| Platform(s) | Wii, Wii U |
| Release date(s) | Wii
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| Genre(s) | Massively multiplayer online role-playing game |
Dragon Quest X: Mezameshi Itsutsu no Shuzoku Online (ドラゴンクエストX 目覚めし五つの種族 オンライン Doragon Kuesuto Ten: Mezameshi Itsutsu no Shuzoku Onrain, lit. "Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online") is an upcoming MMORPG developed and published by Square Enix for the Wii and Wii U video game consoles.[1][2] It is the tenth installment in the acclaimed Dragon Quest series. Formally announced by Yuji Horii on December 10, 2008 at a Dragon Quest conference,[3] it has been called "the highest profile third-party release ever announced for the platform" by Nintendo Power.[4]
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The game is set in a new world, Astoltia, featuring five continents and six playable races. The six races are Human, Ogre, Elf, Dwarf, Puklipo, and Weddie.[5] Players will start as a human character, but after something happens, the character will become one of the other five races.[6]
Upon the initial announcement of the game, Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata compared the Dragon Quest series to the Brain Age series, which was also seen as unmarketable in the West, and declared that he would like to work closely with Square Enix to raise the series' international appeal.[4] It was rumored and speculated that an announcement of five Square Enix games in development would include Dragon Quest X by publications such as Video Gamer and IGN.[7][8] It was also speculated that by MCVUK that it could be released on other formats since Horii never stated that it was exclusive, though noting that the last two Dragon Quest games were exclusive.[9] The Escapist's Keane Ng speculated that because it was announced before Dragon Quest IX's release, it may be along in development.[10] In response to a rumour of being announced on the Japanese variety show Tama Newtown, Kotaku's Michael McWhertor found it suspicious that Square Enix, which according to him announces games "while top executives stand behind podiums in meeting rooms at Tokyo's Imperial Hotel", would announce such a significant title without "more fanfare."[11] Edge's Rob Crossley commented that a multi-console release of Dragon Quest X for both the Wii and DS was a "distinct possibility" due to the "financial allure" of such a prospect.[12]
On September 5, 2011, Square Enix held a Dragon Quest conference where they showed a trailer and confirmed it was for Wii and Wii U. Players of both versions have access to the same world with cross-platform interaction.[13] Square Enix's share price has been falling since the announcement. Nikkei's headline for this story read "Dragon Quest Shock Causes Decline."[14]
By August 2009, Dragon Quest X reached the second spot in Famitsu's Most Wanted feature and stayed high for a long time, though it was dethroned by Tales of Xillia and edged out almost constantly, right up until Xillia's September 8 release in Japan. Michael Cunningham listed Dragon Quest X as a game that he hoped to see at E3 2010, though he admitted that it would be unlikely.[15] A year later, Game Revolution contributor Heath Hindman also listed 'Something, Anything About Dragon Quest X' as a TGS Announcement he'd like to see [16]
Wired's Chris Kohler called it a "big win" for Wii owners and Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata.[17] In discussing the fall in Wii sales in Japan, Kohler noted it as an example of a game that could potentially boost Wii sales.[18] Official Nintendo Magazine described it as big news for Nintendo, due to its popularity.[19] A collaboration of Famitsu readers and Japanese game shops named the simultaneous announcement of Dragon Quest X and the reveal of Dragon Quest IX's release date as the number one news item of 2008 in a year-end poll by Famitsu.[20] Retronauts contributor Jeremy Parish commented that while if the announcement of Dragon Quest X "filled (him) with interest", adding that if it had occurred one year before, he would have dismissed it as an example of the series' stagnation.[21] GameSpot's Tom Magrino described it as a "measure of redemption" for Wii owners, after the "less-than-stellar" release of Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors.[22]
IGN's Matt Casamassina called it a surprise, speculating that it would generate "continued appeal" for the Wii.[23] 1UP.com's Sam Kennedy called it a "big win" for Nintendo and a significant milestone in the series's history.[24] Joystiq's JC Fletcher called it "explosively hot news", adding jokingly that there is "officially not enough material in the world to make all of the Wiis that are about to be in demand."[25] Soon after the announcement, IGN's Daemon Hatfield wrote an article about the possibilities of a Dragon Quest X. He commented that it needed to retain the cartoony visuals of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King due to the Wii's difficulty in creating quality realistic visuals. He also hoped that Dragon Quest X would feature an open-ended story, as well as features introduced in Dragon Quest IX, including co-op multiplayer and character customization.[26]
Dragon Quest X can only be played offline for few hours and need to access online later to enjoy the full experience. There will be a subscription fee.[27][28][29]
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