Dragon Quest, where to start?

[Xeogred]

Interesting... so I wonder how the SNES remake stacks up then?

[WallCrusher]

DQ is crack for Japanese gamers, and it does tip the balance for console wars, it did solidify DS dominance over the PSP (could one image if the DQ was on PSP with Monster Hunter all together?)

We may never know with the PSP, but now that Monster Hunter is on board with the 3DS...

[prfsnl_gmr]

Interesting... so I wonder how the SNES remake stacks up then?

I cannot say since I have not played that version. As a general rule, however, I tend to enjoy portable RPGs more than their console counterparts; so, please take my advice with a grain of salt.

That said Draqon Quest III on the Gameboy Color is one of my favorite RPGs of all time, andI think its virtues are well stated in this vintage IGN review:

http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/166/166206p1.html

The review addresses many of the games best features, but it does not speak to how addictive it is to level your characters in different vocations. (It also does not address how quickly the game allows you to plow through random encounters while grinsing your characters. The battle animation is superb, but random encounters generally last no more than a few seconds...it is like the developers recognized that the leveling and monster medal system would be addictive and made grinding through random encounters as "user-friendly" as possible.)

I completed the game last year, and I am actually "saving" some of the ridiculously difficult bonus dungeons so that I can enjoy more of the game after spending some time leveling my party and upgrading their equipment. (Seriously, the bonus dungeons are hard. I had little difficulty defeating the final boss, but the first random encounter in one of the bonus dungeons wiped my party in no more than a few rounds...)

[Xeogred]

I don't know if this is a staple in the series, but so... when I die in IV, it just respawns me at the last save point and I get to keep all the exp/gold/items I got? I hope! That'd be very nice.

Not very far but so far I dig it a lot.

[MrPopo]

I thought your gold gets halved. Keeping your experience/items is definitely a staple, and I know one of the punishments is rezzing your team. It might be that DQ1 halved your gold but other DQs just charge you the rez cost.

[Nemoide]

I'm pretty sure they all cut your gold in half. Make sure you put money in the bank when you can.

But I really like how dying isn't a big deal. When I'm grinding for XP, I don't want to lose all of that from some enemy randomly casting a spell that wipes out my party.

[Xeogred]

Wow I never knew that about the series. That's pretty awesome.

I got Healie and am at the tower now. Should I have a bag thing? I was skimming over HCBailley's LP of the DS version to see some differences and noticed he had some bag he could store infinite things in.

[MrPopo]

I think the bag was only added in to the DS version, or maybe you only get it in the final chapter.

[Xeogred]

I wonder if I should go with the GBC version... I'm liking the NES version here a lot, but after finishing chapter 1, I feel like I just did 1,000 battles at least.

[MrPopo]

You mean the DS version. The original trilogy is GBC, the second trilogy is DS. The DS version isn't as grindy and has the benefit that you can control your party in the last chapter. In the NES original your party is AI controlled and likes to waste mana on instant death skills that miss. The only benefit to the AI is they get to decide if they want to heal when their speed gives them their turn, instead of at the beginning.