Dragon Quest IV, V, and VI (DS)

[Tempest]

Now that Dragon Quest VI is being released on the DS, I've thought about picking up the entire set (IV, V, and VI). Before I go blow some money on these though, I have a question: How do they play on the DS?

I can get translated versions of V (PS2) and VI (SNES) for emulators and I already own IV for the NES. I like the look of the updated graphics on the DS, but is it annoying to play them on such a small screen for long periods of time? I've been avoiding any RPG on the DS for just that reason.

Tempest

[chrisbid]

dsixl has a very nice sized screen.

but dropping that much on a new system with the 3ds on the horizon may not be the best play


but if you can find the dq games at an affordable price, i would pick them up either way. they will likely become hard to find and expensive as the ds is slowly put to pasture.

[Tempest]

dsixl has a very nice sized screen.

but dropping that much on a new system with the 3ds on the horizon may not be the best play


but if you can find the dq games at an affordable price, i would pick them up either way. they will likely become hard to find and expensive as the ds is slowly put to pasture.
Yeah that's what I was thinking. I've passed up several remakes in the past only to have it bite me in the butt later.

Isn't there a pirated version of DQ IV or V floating around out there? I don't want to get that one obviously, but I want to know how to tell a real one from a pirate one.

[mb7241]

They're hardly annoying to play on the DS for extended periods of time. Not long after Dragon Quest IV came out, I was spending 8 hours straight playing it. Of course, I had to adjust my neck every so often, but my eyes weren't in pain or anything like that. Besides, IV and V were quite well done, in terms of their style updates (not going to spoil anything, but there are a few pleasant changes in places, in addition to the new musical arrangements). Haven't played VI yet, though...I'll probably end up buying it today while I'm out and about :) .

[chrisbid]

are there any buybacks stores in michigan? i know there is one in toledo. their prices are wacky on classic stuff (a copy of tekken 1 greatest hits on psx for 72 dollars), but modern games are priced very nicely. i picked up dq v for 22 dollars a few months ago and golden sun ds for 21 just over the weekend.

as for the pirates, i have a hard time imagining a pirated complete ds game not being obvious. and if you were going to get these games for mainly collecting purposes, a cart only copy would be out the window. that is where most of the pirate copies ive seen show up.

edit 2 - no buybacks in michigan, nevermind

[mb7241]

How to tell a pirate from a real copy...

1. Look at the print quality of the label and the case insert. Most pirates have notably poor print quality.
2. Look at the manual...if a pirate has a manual, it will usually be very short (only a few pages), and will contain a bunch of mis-worded Engrish and game screenshots.
3. Look at the cartridge itself...the part number on the back should say NTR-005, and there should be a 9-character printed code just below it. Also, on the front label, pay extra special attention to the Nintendo seal...it should say "Official Nintendo Seal", and it should be glossy gold (shinier than the rest of the label). On most pirates, the Nintendo logo in the seal will look a bit different, and it will be a matte gold.

[retroman]

hell no it aint a pain on the small screen...picking up 6 tomorrw..4 and 5 were fantastic..great storys and addicting gameplay...if you like 9 then these should awsome for ya

[shopkins]

IV is fantastic. V is kinda rare, I'm having a hard time finding it. Well, a real one.

I know for a fact that there are pirate versions of V because I accidentally bought one. Listen to my sad tale.

I should have figured something was up because it was $20 new at a fleamarket. But it looked so convincing I decided to take a chance.

And it was convincing. The printing was, as far as I could tell, perfect. There was a full color manual inside and the printing on the label looked fine. They even included the warning booklet.

But when I fired it up, I knew something was wrong immediately. There were already save files on the cart. And they were there for a reason, because there is copy protection on Dragon Quest V. There's a boat ride at the start and if you're playing a pirate copy it just doesn't end. I guess the save files were a way around it but I deleted them.

I looked over the cart I had and compared it to info I found online. The only giveaway I could find, physically, was that the green exposed part of the circuitboard had Nintendo 809 printed on it, instead of a proper serial number.

Oh, and the cart had CP3EN0J09 printed on the back, which I've discovered can be a red flag. And the box had NTR-CDXP-EUR on the front. Which is European code you wouldn't expect to find at a fleamarket in Kentucky. These are things I learned after the fact, of course.

Anyway, you live and you learn. If you're buying Dragon Quest V just be careful because their are a lot of bootlegs out there, the bootlegs don't work, and they can be convincing if you're not careful. If it's too good to be true it probably is. Heck, I could see these ending up back in Gamestops, too, because I bet there are a lot of people unscrupulous enough to trade them in.

[mobiusclimber]

They're awesome and well worth the money. I can't say what it's like playing the DS for extended periods of time since I only play it on the bus to and from work (and running errands).

[RPG_Fanatic]

They are awesome!!! I played through IV and I'm currently playing through V and picking up VI today. I have no problems with the screen size but I'm playing on an DSi XL.

[Tempest]

IV is fantastic. V is kinda rare, I'm having a hard time finding it. Well, a real one.

I know for a fact that there are pirate versions of V because I accidentally bought one. Listen to my sad tale.

I should have figured something was up because it was $20 new at a fleamarket. But it looked so convincing I decided to take a chance.

And it was convincing. The printing was, as far as I could tell, perfect. There was a full color manual inside and the printing on the label looked fine. They even included the warning booklet.

But when I fired it up, I knew something was wrong immediately. There were already save files on the cart. And they were there for a reason, because there is copy protection on Dragon Quest V. There's a boat ride at the start and if you're playing a pirate copy it just doesn't end. I guess the save files were a way around it but I deleted them.

I looked over the cart I had and compared it to info I found online. The only giveaway I could find, physically, was that the green exposed part of the circuitboard had Nintendo 809 printed on it, instead of a proper serial number.

Oh, and the cart had CP3EN0J09 printed on the back, which I've discovered can be a red flag. And the box had NTR-CDXP-EUR on the front. Which is European code you wouldn't expect to find at a fleamarket in Kentucky. These are things I learned after the fact, of course.

Anyway, you live and you learn. If you're buying Dragon Quest V just be careful because their are a lot of bootlegs out there, the bootlegs don't work, and they can be convincing if you're not careful. If it's too good to be true it probably is. Heck, I could see these ending up back in Gamestops, too, because I bet there are a lot of people unscrupulous enough to trade them in.
Ok THAT'S what I'm talking about. I knew there was a pirated version of one of them going around.

They have a used copy at a few of my local gamestops, I wonder what the odds of it being a pirated one are?

Tempest

[chrisbid]

another way to make sure you have an official copy is to look for a nintendo registration form inside. i dont think pirates have been able to successfully copy club nintendo points