Every roleplaying game had to start somewhere. If that somewhere is a sequel to the greatest JRPG there is, so be it. This takes place in the same world as the original Dragon Warrior, and it is deserving of that title. This is a very story rich game with a lot of ins and outs to the quests you go on, and sometimes that works in its favor, other times, it can be a bit of a puzzler. The greatest part about this is how they bring the creatures you fought before to life in full 3D animation. The Metal Slime even makes an appearance more than once!
So, you are [Insert Hero Name Here], and you are on a quest to help King Trode regain his throne after being transformed into a strange creature. Along the way, you start to meet your party members, even having one of them at the beginning. Your starting partner is Yangus, a thief who owes the main protagonist a life debt and the two of them have become friends and battle buddies. Jessica and Angelo are your next party members, though there is a start difference to both of these characters. That's one of the great things about DQ 8, is that the characters are very different and well written to have different motivations and goals. Jessica is definitely the more interesting of the NPC's, because she really starts to play a large role later in the story. Angelo is just your normal flirty boy but it is cool that he is a knight's templar. He's known as a screw-up to the rest of the Templar, namely is brother.
The next strength in this title is the villain, Dhoulmagus, who you just can't help but love to hate. He is absolutely dreadful and very menacing throughout the story. He is the one who changed the king into a toad-like thing. Along the journey, you start to see just how evil he is. He goes to extreme lengths to obtain power an it just feels right that you want to stop him from doing just that. It's funny to note that he employs the same baddies as the Dragon Lord from the first game. The game is rather long, which just enriches the experience, and it always keeps you wanting to obtain your goal.
The greatest thing about this game, though, is the artstyle. Yes, it is obvious that this is a very Pro-Dragon Ball site, and that will never change. Even after our sensei has passed on, we can still marvel in his treasures. Akira Toriyama's art in this is brought to such a wonderful view. From the very start, they wanted to emulate his artstyle and this is the game where it is clear that he was the right man for the position of Art Director. Even if they look similar, it just makes you want to watch DBZ all over again, so go ahead. You can play the game and watch some Z, there's no shame in it!
If you hadn't guessed already, this game is awesome. It is considered the best in the series by many and it is clear as to why. Mr. Toriyama keeps showing off how watchable his art is, and the game mechanics are all here from the franchise we know and love. The magic is simple, the level progression is linear and the weapon system keeps making you want to kill more monsters to buy the higher ranking stuff. They had a proper story to go with the game, like they always do, but it is not at all as simple as DQ1. There are great characters to carry it along and you genuinely want them to achieve their ultimate ambition. Pick this title up if you ever see it on the shelf. You will be glad you got another crack at that Metal Slime. Also known as the Virtua Slime.
