Dragon Quest XI - First Reviews

Here are the first reviews for Dragon Quest XI - the game launces on September 4:

Gamespot - Score: 9/10

US Gamer - Sore: 5/5

Game Informer - Score 8.25/10

EGM Now - Score 8.25/10

Eurogamer:

[…]

It's a cute touch, but it pales in comparison to the quirks that previous games have introduced - Heavenly Bride's recruitable monsters, say, or Chapters of the Chosen's episodic approach. Dragon Quest might be a series anchored in its traditions, but the pleasure of playing a new one has often been seeing how they're subverted, or played upon. Echoes of the Elusive Age is defined by its conservatism, and even given the number of twist and turns its plot throws at you it always ends up back on the straight and narrow.

And after the boldness of past entries - whether that's the not-so-recent Dragon Quest 9, or even the perfectly executed Builders spin-offs - Echoes of the Elusive Age ends up feeling like it's missing a trick. This is a pointed return to a different age of RPGs, a throwback to a golden era that shines brightly in its splendour. You'll be hard pushed to find a more lavish production this year, or one that's so generous, though you can't help but wonder whether it's too much of a backwards step.

More information.

These appear to be console reviews.

Aaargh. Hard to tell how to take these reviews. The reviewers pretty much all start with "by the way I am a hardcore JRPG fanboi.. bla bla". Hard to trust them to be genuinely critical.

Is the game still a 9/10 for people like me who cannot enjoy most JRPGs due to the limited and grindingly repetitive menu based TB combat systems?

Most AAA JRPGs reviews will actually cover this. But all these lacklustre closeminded SJW reviewers all seem to be busy gushing their JRPG fanboi hearts out instead of giving actual useful information.

kangapoo - if you don't like menu-based turn-based battling, DQ games are almost certainly not for you. I haven't yet played XI, but the whole point is not to deviate too wildly from previous incarnations, so whilst you probably won't have to grind, you'll almost certainly have menu-based, turn-based battles, and a fair few of them.

The reviews do make it clear that DQXI is extremely conservative in terms of moving the formula forwards, almost to a fault. It really sounds like you'd prefer a slightly more action-y JRPG series like "Tales of" series, Ys/(Tokyo) Xanadu or FF15, or try Trails in the Sky / Trails of Cold Steel for a non-texty turn-based?

I was sort of thinking of getting this game but I don't like "menu" based combat. However I really like turn based combat as found in games like Might and Magic, wizardry 8 etc.

It seems to be these menus are bad GUI designed which are hang over from hand healed console days? Why not just have hot bars and stuff like M&M etc?

I am a bit disappointed that they didn’t try to add new things to the formula like previous dragon quests. Like the reviewer said one of my favorite things about a new one was seeing what was changed/added. But I’ll still certainly get it and hopefully it will at least have some things from previous versions I liked even if there is nothing new.

I'm disappointed that there has been no pc reviews.

Apart the only one low quality PC review (french), here's another one from nintendo gameboys:
https://wccftech.com/review/dragon-q…n-elusive-age/

Being the first Dragon Quest title developed with Unreal Engine 4 in mind, Echoes of an Elusive Age looks absolutely stunning on the PlayStation 4 Pro.

No free copy of Dragon Quest I on PS4 when you finish the story

Notice kindergarden "fit shapes" crap at lower left corner:



Yea, I wonder where it fits on this toy:



Does this review deserve reading? IMO not.

@joxer as a hater of all things consoles, how do you put up with these menu driven combat? I have not played this game but I never liked going through a menu to pick your spells etc. I found it annoyed and no need in a PC. You don't find this annoying and consoleish?

A GOOD pc implementations would provide short-cuts to bypass menu

Originally Posted by lostforever
@joxer as a hater of all things consoles, how do you put up with these menu driven combat? I have not played this game but I never liked going through a menu to pick your spells etc. I found it annoyed and no need in a PC. You don't find this annoying and consoleish?

Oh gawds, not more Lemmings bleating terms like "SJW" and "snowflake". I'm not big on pushing PC everywhere, but these people are just worse in every way. No one even brought up anything remotely related to social justice, but there they go.

Originally Posted by lostforever
@joxer as a hater of all things consoles, how do you put up with these menu driven combat? I have not played this game but I never liked going through a menu to pick your spells etc. I found it annoyed and no need in a PC. You don't find this annoying and consoleish?

LoL I assume this is a joke? Dragon Quest, and every other JRPG (their developers) were heavily inspired by CRPGs at the time, classics like Wizardry, Ultima, and the like. In addition, I don't remember the last time I played a proper CRPG without menu driven combat, apart from Action RPGs, which are a less pure offshoot of the genre.

As for the game, looks good and I've got it pre-loaded already. Between this, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Bard's Tale 4, and Valkyria Chronicles 4, I am a happy boy indeed. Not to mention next months treasures like Underworld: Ascendant and Call of Cthulhu.

Originally Posted by PegasusOrgans
LoL I assume this is a joke? Dragon Quest, and every other JRPG (their developers) were heavily inspired by CRPGs at the time, classics like Wizardry, Ultima, and the like. In addition, I don't remember the last time I played a proper CRPG without menu driven combat, apart from Action RPGs, which are a less pure offshoot of the genre.

As for the game, looks good and I've got it pre-loaded already. Between this, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Bard's Tale 4, and Valkyria Chronicles 4, I am a happy boy indeed. Not to mention next months treasures like Underworld: Ascendant and Call of Cthulhu.

I am not sure we understand each other so let me start again….

I am not criticising Dragon Quest XI, in fact I would like to play it as it looks really nice.

However, I don't like menu driven combat as found in some console RPGs. For example, you select a character, then select menu, then select spells and then select the spell you want to cast etc. I understand why it is on some handheld consoles but I feel there is no need for this on PC even on consoles like PS4.

Is this how Dragon Quest XI going to play? even if yes, is not not bad as it sounds?

I think in PC game, why not have hot bar and spells on it? So you can either click on it or even assign hot bar key so with a single click of mouse or keyboard, you are done. As far as I remember, this is how Wizardry 8 play (may be I am wrong?). It definitely how Might and Magic 10 plays anyway…

My point is, there is no need for this menu system on PC or PS4 anymore. There are much better way to design the UI. Or am I wrong? Is there some advantage to menu driven system that I am missing?

Originally Posted by lostforever
@joxer as a hater of all things consoles, how do you put up with these menu driven combat? I have not played this game but I never liked going through a menu to pick your spells etc. I found it annoyed and no need in a PC. You don't find this annoying and consoleish?

I'm not hater of all things consoles, but have no willpower to go details (again).
I have absolutely no idea how the game plays. It'll unlock in a few moments so I'll play it later a bit then reply.

Originally Posted by PegasusOrgans
I've got it pre-loaded already.

Me too but can't start it immediately, have some chores to do first. Yea, spamming is one of them, it's not a distraction!

Originally Posted by lostforever
However, I don't like menu driven combat as found in some console RPGs. For example, you select a character, then select menu, then select spells and then select the spell you want to cast etc.

Well in combat, which is most of the time you are casting spells, it's not usually quite so bad. Usually it will be one characters turn, and then you will have a list saying something like Attack, Magic, Item, Flee. You pick one and then if appropriate a second list will pop up letting you choose which spell or item you want to use. It's pretty fast and I never have a real issue with it.

Out of combat can be more annoying depending on the game. Throwing out of combat heals can require you to open the menu, select the character, choose magic, and then choose the spell and then the target. This can sometimes be significantly more annoying, although some games are much worse than others.

Originally Posted by fadedc
Well in combat, which is most of the time you are casting spells, it's not usually quite so bad. Usually it will be one characters turn, and then you will have a list saying something like Attack, Magic, Item, Flee. You pick one and then if appropriate a second list will pop up letting you choose which spell or item you want to use. It's pretty fast and I never have a real issue with it.

Out of combat can be more annoying depending on the game. Throwing out of combat heals can require you to open the menu, select the character, choose magic, and then choose the spell and then the target. This can sometimes be significantly more annoying, although some games are much worse than others.

This is what I image things to be and I find this annoying and poor design. However I guess I will put up with it if the game is really good. For example, I have played Trails of the cold steel on PS Vita and its very similar style yet I put up with it since I liked the story etc.

Ugh…no.

I enjoyed the early (1-4) DQ games when the series was called Dragon Warrior over here, but that was mostly due to me being very young at the time and not having many other options.

This is just way too Japanese and cartoony for me now.

Hot bar's are a relatively new feature. Every older RPG used similar menu's. Many CRPGs still do, so it's not a JRPG thing. Actually, the menu in DQ xi would have been seen as very simple and easy compared to a Bard's Tale, Realms of Arkania, or most RPG pre-late 90's and the influence of both Diablo and MMO's. DQ's major feature, as a series, is how many elements it keeps from the early days, despite updating and improving in other ways.

If there is one thing DQ took from crpgs it's using an obtuse menu during combat.
I
I'm guessing you are young? RPGs were a niche genre for decades and not one of us boring old fools had an issue with the user unfriendly UIs that were common. And, despite changes in a range of rpgs, I still find a menu driven turn based fight the truest form of RPG since it was the only form for decades.

Edit: And a correction. I guess Real Time w Pause can be called a true RPG combat style, but it is, again, newish. Turn based was the only thing around for a long time.

Originally Posted by PegasusOrgans
Hot bar's are a relatively new feature. Every older RPG used similar menu's. Many CRPGs still do, so it's not a JRPG thing. Actually, the menu in DQ xi would have been seen as very simple and easy compared to a Bard's Tale, Realms of Arkania, or most RPG pre-late 90's and the influence of both Diablo and MMO's. DQ's major feature, as a series, is how many elements it keeps from the early days, despite updating and improving in other ways.

If there is one thing DQ took from crpgs it's using an obtuse menu during combat.
I
I'm guessing you are young? RPGs were a niche genre for decades and not one of us boring old fools had an issue with the user unfriendly UIs that were common. And, despite changes in a range of rpgs, I still find a menu driven turn based fight the truest form of RPG since it was the only form for decades.

Edit: And a correction. I guess Real Time w Pause can be called a true RPG combat style, but it is, again, newish. Turn based was the only thing around for a long time.

I will be 40 soon but I really started with RPG when Morrowind came along. I never played many of the older RPG you mentions. I did play wizardry 8 about 10 years ago and its one of my favourite RPG. I don't really care itf its CRPG or JRPG etc as I like them all but I do find menu based combat UI annoying and a design we can do without. However if Dragon Quest XI is really good, I will put up with it but probably not at full price

Originally Posted by JDR13
This is just way too Japanese and cartoony for me now.

It's not and saying it is is pretty much ignorant - when was the last time you watched some of their "cartoons". They never "cartoon" things this ugly.

Not saying you should play this one. If you're unimpressed with uglyness of characters, not interested to discover what puff puff means here, simply skippit.