Dragon Quest, where to start?

[brunoafh]

The only DQ game I've ever played is the original one for NES. I barely played that even and know next to nothing about this franchise. I'm interested in getting into it though and am wondering which game might make a good entry point? Basically, I'm looking for the Final Fantasy IV of the series if that makes sense. I like a decent plot, a solid cast, and music is very important to me. Interesting gameplay mechanics/systems are a plus as well. I don't want to start with an ultra grindy one either.

I'd appreciate hearing any and all thoughts about the franchise though. Where it peaked, where/if it's started to trail off, fan favorite titles, major development team changes, etc. Also I see there is a lot of remake/port stuff going on, and I'm not sure what the deal on that stuff is.

[sabrage]

I was just thinking about asking this same question!

[gtmtnbiker]

My daughters started with IX and love it. I did get them the older versions for the DS but they didn't like them. They have put in over 500 hours each on IX.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Do you have a DS? If so, I'd pick up IV, V, VI, and IX.

Or you could just start with IX, it's amazing. And like Final Fantasy you don't have to play the installments in order to understand the story.

[brunoafh]

Do you have a DS?

I have NES, SFC, DS, PS1, PS2, so platform shouldn't be an issue.

I'm kind of thinking about starting with IV or V since those appear to be the last ones developed by Chunsoft. The multitude of ports has me confused though. I'm not sure about which versions I should go with.

[noiseredux]

I've always heard VIII was a highpoint. I've only played about an hour of it, so can't say myself. Though I certainly plan to *someday* work on it...

[jfrost]

Dragon Quest has, in my opinion, a few of the best stories in videogames. The series is a slow burn, to be sure, but once you "get" it, it's difficult to go back to the storytelling in other RPGs. Everything in Dragon Quest is understated and it's the subtlety that draws people in. Maybe that's why the Japanese appreciate it so much.

The best story in the series, I reckon, is Dragon Quest V. You follow the hero's life, from the beginning to adulthood, and has to discover what was your father's quest. What you are looking for is never really laid out for you, you find it as you go along. In the way, you find love, get married, have children, and so on. It's truly a great game.

Dragon Quest IV is also great, because of it's structure. You spend the first half of the game following the hero's companions in their own adventures (their "chapters), and only later everyone gets together to fight evil.

I haven't played them on the DS, but I've read they're really good remakes, so you probably should get them (although I think V is a little hard to come by).

Also, DQVIII is great as well, even though I really don't think its story is as engaging as the previous games. The graphics are very good though, and this time there's a big incentive to just run around and explore everything. The characters are very good as well.

[BoringSupreez]

There's so many DQ games already that it's kind of intimidating to get into the series, at least for me. They ought to release a 3DS cart with the entire series to date on it. That'd make it a lot easier to get into.

[Opa Opa]

There's so many DQ games already that it's kind of intimidating to get into the series, at least for me. They ought to release a 3DS cart with the entire series to date on it. That'd make it a lot easier to get into.

That would send the 3DS sales skyrocketing in Japan.

[sabrage]

Can anyone comment on the Gameboy/Color versions? Do they have Final Fantasy-style naming confusion?