Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2
Encyclopedia
' is a Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
console role-playing game published by Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
. It is the sequel to Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker
is a Nintendo DS role-playing game published by Square Enix, and the fourth installment of the Dragon Quest Monsters series. Square Enix released the game on December 28, 2006 in Japan and in North America on November 6, 2007....
and is the fifth game in the Dragon Quest Monsters
Dragon Quest Monsters
or Dragon Warrior Monsters, as it was known in North America, is a spin off series of the Dragon Quest games. Published by Enix Corporation , it sets the player in a medieval/fantasy world filled with magic, monsters and knights...
series. It was released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on April 28, 2010 and a US release on September 19, 2011, as revealed at the 2011 E3. An expanded version of the game, titled Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional, was released on March 31, 2011. It features new monsters and abilities, with the same story.
Gameplay
Joker 2's gameplay follows closely to its predecessor. Players explore areas and tame wild monsters into their party. Monsters fight in turn-based combat and grow stronger. The battle system itself is very similar to previous Dragon Quest Monsters games. The player controls up to three monsters that make up the party, and can issue them direct orders or set them to one of 5 AI settings. The main character does not directly participate in battles except for when the player uses items. 311 monsters from the Dragon QuestDragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
games appear in Joker 2, with a few new species, many from the original "Dragon Warrior Monsters" games This is the second game in the series to feature Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
support, after the first Joker game, and the first to support direct battling between players.
Square Enix released Joker 2 Professional, an expanded version of the game, on March 31, 2011. Professional features over 100 new monsters, as well as new regions and abilities, but the same story. Players are able to import their old monsters from the original game.
Online
Joker 2 has Wi-Fi support and Square Enix has announced that up to eight players can connect to each other. The players can then battle their monster teams against each other in real time. The game will also keep track of the best players through leaderboards.Reception
The game sold 1.2 million copies by July 2010. It was the top-selling game for Square Enix for the April to September period of 2010, the highest-selling game in Japan for the month of May, and the sixth-highest selling game in Japan for all of 2010. The game received a 37 out of 40 from FamitsuFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
, with one reviewer giving it a 10 and the other three awarding it a 9.