Dragon Quest X
Encyclopedia
is an upcoming MMORPG
developed and published by Square Enix
for the Wii
and Wii U video game console
s. It is the tenth installment in the acclaimed Dragon Quest
series. Formally announced by Yūji Horii
on December 10, 2008 at a Dragon Quest conference, it has been called "the highest profile third-party release ever announced for the platform" by Nintendo Power
.
, Ogre
, Elf
, Dwarf
, Puklipo, and Weddie. Players will start as a human character, but after something happens, the character will become one of the other five races.
compared the Dragon Quest series to the Brain Age
series, which was also seen as unmarketable in the West, and declared that he would like to work closely with Square Enix
to raise the series' international appeal. It was rumoured and speculated that an announcement of five Square Enix games in development would include Dragon Quest X by publications such as Video Gamer and IGN
. It was also speculated that by MCVUK that it could be released on other formats since Horii never stated that it was exclusive, though noting that the last two Dragon Quest games were exclusive. The Escapist's Keane Ng speculated that because it was announced before Dragon Quest IXs release, it may be along in development. In response to a rumour of being announced on the Japanese variety show Tama Newtown, Kotaku
's Michael McWhertor found it suspicious that Square Enix, which according to him announces games "while top executives stand behind podiums in meeting rooms at Tokyo's Imperial Hotel", would announce such a significant title without "more fanfare." Edge
s Rob Crossley commented that a multi-console release of Dragon Quest X for both the Wii and DS was a "distinct possibility" due to the "financial allure" of such a prospect.
s Most Wanted feature and stayed high for a long time, though it was dethroned by Tales of Xillia and edged out almost constantly, right up until Xillias September 8 release in Japan. Michael Cunningham listed Dragon Quest X as a game that he hoped to see at E3 2010, though he admitted that it would be unlikely. A year later, Game Revolution contributor Heath Hindman also listed 'Something, Anything About Dragon Quest X' as a TGS Announcement he'd like to see
Wired
's Chris Kohler called it a "big win" for Wii owners and Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata
. In discussing the fall in Wii
sales in Japan, Kohler noted it as an example of a game that could potentially boost Wii sales. Official Nintendo Magazine described it as big news for Nintendo
, due to its popularity. A collaboration of Famitsu
readers and Japanese game shops named the simultaneous announcement of Dragon Quest X and the reveal of Dragon Quest IXs release date as the number one news item of 2008 in a year-end poll by Famitsu. Retronauts contributor Jeremy Parish commented that while if the announcement of Dragon Quest X "filled (him) with interest", adding that if it had occurred one year before, he would have dismissed it as an example of the series' stagnation. GameSpot
's Tom Magrino described it as a "measure of redemption" for Wii owners, after the "less-than-stellar" release of Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
.
IGN
's Matt Casamassina called it a surprise, speculating that it would generate "continued appeal" for the Wii. 1UP.com
's Sam Kennedy called it a "big win" for Nintendo and a significant milestone in the series's history. Joystiq
's JC Fletcher called it "explosively hot news", adding jokingly that there is "officially not enough material in the world to make all of the Wiis that are about to be in demand." Soon after the announcement, IGN's Daemon Hatfield wrote an article about the possibilities of a Dragon Quest X. He commented that it needed to retain the cartoony visuals of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King due to the Wii's difficulty in creating quality realistic visuals. He also hoped that Dragon Quest X would feature an open-ended story, as well as features introduced in Dragon Quest IX, including co-op multiplayer and character customization.
Dragon Quest X can only be played offline for few hours and need to access online later to enjoy the full experience. There will be a subscription fee.
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
developed and 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...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
and Wii U video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
s. It is the tenth installment in the acclaimed Dragon Quest
Dragon 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...
series. Formally announced by Yūji Horii
Yūji Horii
is a Japanese video game designer and scenario writer best known as the creator of the Dragon Quest series of console role-playing games, as well as the visual novel adventure game Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken.-History:Dragon Quest is recognized as the first role-playing game to posit the idea...
on December 10, 2008 at a Dragon Quest conference, it has been called "the highest profile third-party release ever announced for the platform" by Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
.
Setting
The game is set in a new world, Astoltia, featuring five continents and six playable races. The six races are HumanHuman
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
, Ogre
Ogre
An ogre is a large, cruel, monstrous, and hideous humanoid monster, featured in mythology, folklore, and fiction. Ogres are often depicted in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many classic works of literature...
, Elf
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
, Dwarf
Dwarf (Germanic mythology)
In Germanic mythology, a dwarf is a being that dwells in mountains and in the earth, and is associated with wisdom, smithing, mining, and crafting...
, Puklipo, and Weddie. Players will start as a human character, but after something happens, the character will become one of the other five races.
Announcement and speculation
Upon the initial announcement of the game, Nintendo president and CEO Satoru IwataSatoru Iwata
is the fourth president of Nintendo, succeeding the long-standing previous president of the company, Hiroshi Yamauchi in 2002. He was responsible in great part for defining Nintendo's strategy both before and during the release of its Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2001, a vision which...
compared the Dragon Quest series to the Brain Age
Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!, also known as Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? in PAL regions, is an entertainment video game that employs puzzles. It was developed and published by the video gaming company Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console...
series, which was also seen as unmarketable in the West, and declared that he would like to work closely with 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...
to raise the series' international appeal. It was rumoured and speculated that an announcement of five Square Enix games in development would include Dragon Quest X by publications such as Video Gamer and IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
. It was also speculated that by MCVUK that it could be released on other formats since Horii never stated that it was exclusive, though noting that the last two Dragon Quest games were exclusive. The Escapist's Keane Ng speculated that because it was announced before Dragon Quest IXs release, it may be along in development. In response to a rumour of being announced on the Japanese variety show Tama Newtown, Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
's Michael McWhertor found it suspicious that Square Enix, which according to him announces games "while top executives stand behind podiums in meeting rooms at Tokyo's Imperial Hotel", would announce such a significant title without "more fanfare." Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
s Rob Crossley commented that a multi-console release of Dragon Quest X for both the Wii and DS was a "distinct possibility" due to the "financial allure" of such a prospect.
Unveiling
On September 5, 2011, Square Enix held a Dragon Quest conference where they showed a trailer and confirmed it was for Wii and Wii U. Players of both versions have access to the same world with cross-platform interaction. Square Enix's share price has been falling since the announcement. Nikkei's headline for this story read "Dragon Quest Shock Causes Decline."Anticipation
By August 2009, Dragon Quest X reached the second spot in 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...
s Most Wanted feature and stayed high for a long time, though it was dethroned by Tales of Xillia and edged out almost constantly, right up until Xillias September 8 release in Japan. Michael Cunningham listed Dragon Quest X as a game that he hoped to see at E3 2010, though he admitted that it would be unlikely. A year later, Game Revolution contributor Heath Hindman also listed 'Something, Anything About Dragon Quest X' as a TGS Announcement he'd like to see
Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
's Chris Kohler called it a "big win" for Wii owners and Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata
Satoru Iwata
is the fourth president of Nintendo, succeeding the long-standing previous president of the company, Hiroshi Yamauchi in 2002. He was responsible in great part for defining Nintendo's strategy both before and during the release of its Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2001, a vision which...
. In discussing the fall in Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
sales in Japan, Kohler noted it as an example of a game that could potentially boost Wii sales. Official Nintendo Magazine described it as big news for Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, due to its popularity. A collaboration of Famitsu
Famitsu
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...
readers and Japanese game shops named the simultaneous announcement of Dragon Quest X and the reveal of Dragon Quest IXs release date as the number one news item of 2008 in a year-end poll by Famitsu. Retronauts contributor Jeremy Parish commented that while if the announcement of Dragon Quest X "filled (him) with interest", adding that if it had occurred one year before, he would have dismissed it as an example of the series' stagnation. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Tom Magrino described it as a "measure of redemption" for Wii owners, after the "less-than-stellar" release of Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
is a first-person adventure game by Square Enix exclusive to Nintendo's Wii game console. The game is a spin-off from the Dragon Quest series.-Battle system:...
.
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Matt Casamassina called it a surprise, speculating that it would generate "continued appeal" for the Wii. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
's Sam Kennedy called it a "big win" for Nintendo and a significant milestone in the series's history. Joystiq
Joystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
's JC Fletcher called it "explosively hot news", adding jokingly that there is "officially not enough material in the world to make all of the Wiis that are about to be in demand." Soon after the announcement, IGN's Daemon Hatfield wrote an article about the possibilities of a Dragon Quest X. He commented that it needed to retain the cartoony visuals of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King due to the Wii's difficulty in creating quality realistic visuals. He also hoped that Dragon Quest X would feature an open-ended story, as well as features introduced in Dragon Quest IX, including co-op multiplayer and character customization.
Dragon Quest X can only be played offline for few hours and need to access online later to enjoy the full experience. There will be a subscription fee.