Well I've missed most of this week due to personal issues but I did manage to put some time into Dragon Quest VIII. Like many I played this game back on PS2 but let me tell you it is worth playing again on 3DS.
It looks great on my New 3DS XL, I cannot believe they crammed so much into that little cartridge but when you consider how much a micro SD card can hold these days I guess it should not be that surprising.
I'm just past the point where you get your ship and here's one thing I've noticed. I think they've made it easier on the 3DS.
First of all having the map on the bottom screen at all times makes navigation much easier and secondly I think the battles in general are much easier at least at the beginning.
The boss battles don't really get challenging until one nasty battle with a giant mole but I was able to stay alive and beat him.
Quick saves stick around and you can even quick save before a boss and continue your game without reloading. That's kind of convenient.
Metal slimes and liquid metal slimes show up earlier than I remember them in the PS2 version. If you can get them to stick around that's a lot of experience in a quick battle. 1000 and 10000 respectively. High agility and Metal Slash definitely help here.
Now all that being said You can still get yourself into trouble by visiting areas you have no place being in at the time. This can be a huge problem once you get your boat. Curiosity can kill your party. I've had to flee a couple of times after losing two team members in the first round.
Anyway this game still holds up after all these years. It's funny there are parts I don't remember at all, parts I vaguely recollect and parts I remember quite clearly. I admit that the story of the king pining for the queen he lost 2 years ago made me well up a bit.
Anyway, I'll try to keep blogging but no promises.
I'm hanging in.
I love the port too. I just got past the ferry ride, and I have Jessica in the party now. Gonna hopefully play today. I'm amazed how well the soundtrack sounds over the 3DS's crappy speakers, honestly. It sounds good.
I wish more PS2 games would get ported this way - I mean, just imagine Xenosaga on a handheld. Oh man, I would love that.
I'd be all over the Xenosaga series on 3DS for sure.
I use my Sennheiser earbuds when playing my 3DS. The soundtrack is awesome.
which ones are those? I'm looking for some good ear buds but there are so many choices!
Not sure what the model number is. They're pretty clean and not bass heavy and that's what I want.
I would mostly be listening to classical music. I've been thinking about getting out of the house to the library of coffee shop to help my writing, and taking some ear buds with me.
I'd consider these if I needed a new pair. Their biggest problem is that they might not feel right in your ears at first. I had a similar pair and lost them in Detroit.
thanks man.
The map being available at all times is one of the best things about gaming on DS. Always hate having to pause the game to look at the map. Especially in games that encourage exploration like Tomb Raider and Metroid.
Oh, metal slimes! I used to actively hunt them. Jason said I was a horrible person, picking on those cute little slimes like that. To which I would reply: metal slimes are the creeping coins of the DQ world.
Ha ha. Creeping Coins. I know that reference.
Pandas, I like to think the other animals in the world think of them as that crazy uncle. Good to read that you're hanging in and playing some games that take your mind off of things.
The more I hear about DQVIII, the more I want to play it.
I have fond memories of the PS2 game. Mark and I played it in tandem. Just like Blue Dragon, he beat me to the end.